Survival of the Fittest
by lanya-celebrian
Summary: If the world were that simple, Roxas could have had it all. Simplicity is bliss yet just so unattainable. So, screw simple. He's just gonna have to take it back the hard way: By force. AkuRoku fic. ATTENTION: New title! Changed from "A Vivid Promise"
1. Prologue

Summary: Axel's an ignorantaristocratic boy from one of the Four Families of Horizon's End (Rebirth, it was later renamed), andRoxas is a poor kid out on the streets...but was he always peasant? That is the question, isn't it. Alternate Universe: AnAkuRoku fic. Basedin aVictorian Era twisted withmodern-day sort of thing.

Author's Notes: I'm hesistant about posting this now...Hopefully it's not too confusing. Most of the ideas were influenced through my History class. I'm not really good at summaries either, so forgive me for that. Don't kill me if you don't like it ; just move on with your lives... But do send some feedback. Tips would be nice too. :)

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**Prologue: Getting the Classes Right**

Streaks of violent crimson tainted the pure, radiant blue sky hanging silently above the urban city. The smell of murder and distinct taste of blood seemed to fill the air, mercilessly driving through every wall and piercing through every nostril. Every man, woman, and child seemed driven by indecisive fear. Even those who knew nothing of what had occurred—what _was _occurring—that day could still sense the tension in their hearts. Everyone in that city had been connected; no matter how poor the soul, no matter how hard they worked…all hearts were connected as one sole community. Everyone had been viewed as equal even despite the difference daily wage and social status.

Greed had yet to corrupt the minds of the people… Money had yet to stray the soul from the heart friendship…and many hoped it would remain this way. Friendship was the one thing that brought peace to everyone. It was the only thing that was capable of easing the darkness concealed within every heart. Never was there a moment of chaotic revolution amongst unhappy peoples towards their superiors. Everyone was content; there was no need for significant changes. No need for revolution.

Horizon's End had been considered an ultimate haven for all creatures and peoples alike. But this city, too, could not possibly escape the daunting powers of fate forever. All good things eventually come to an end. Horizon's End—this brilliant utopian city—was no different.

The young master had been lazily dozing off by his open window that day, his pale, thin right arm dangling over the side of his two-story mansion as he gazed out into the cloudless sky. It was a beautiful, breezy day that day; the sun's rays were barely noticeable thanks to the nice draft that swept in every so often. It was a rather soothing feeling, the boy noted, allowing the wind to breath easily through the flaming red locks that drooped down to his shoulders in a sort of clean-mess. Truthfully speaking, _everyday_ was a beautiful day. Such clear days were a normal occurrence; there was nothing particularly special about them. The boy, himself, actually found them to be particularly boring.

With legs propped up against the windowpane, Axel sat mumbling to himself, his expression rather quizzical. On a simple note, one would probably say that the red-haired, emerald green-eyed boy was as bored as hell could possibly get without fire, heat, and ultimate agony. This would be true if not for the fact that there was something other than utter boredom that seemed evident in his stunningly brilliant green orbs. What it was that bothered him, though…well, not even Axel, himself would be able to answer _that_ question. He was only twelve years old (despite his appearance of being in his mid teens); it was no wonder he still held the air of curiosity a child had. He _was_ only a boy after all. A very _different_ sort of aristocratic boy at that.

With an exasperated sigh, and in hope of shaking off this desolate feeling tightening in his stomach, the redhead began to whistle a favorite tune of his. This tune, itself, earned the title of being his "Extraordinarily Damn Good Victory Theme Song" or the E.D.G.E Song for short. Why, edge? Axel just grew to like that word, and named his favorite tune after one of his favorite words. He nearly set Marluxia's hair ablaze during his brainstorming. _Never_ disturb the young master while he's thinking—or at least, attempting to think.

The red head often hummed it whenever he succeeded in pulling a prank on Xigbar—Axel's hunting-obsessed father. To the boy, his own father (which he refused to say he had _any_ relation to), was the hardest to pull tricks on. It would be a miracle of the redhead actually succeeded in any attempts he pulled; most of the times they worked by accident... Despite that, though, there never seemed to be a single wasted moment in ol' Xiggy's life…one merely had to look at his collection of plagued heartless heads hanging along his infamous 'Wall of Game' to see how _eventful_ his life was. _Oh…_how the old man _loved_ the rush of shooting random heartless critters. It always brought a tear to his eye.

_Hn…?_ Being torn away from his secret fantasies, Axel caught a distinct whiff of smoke drifting in the breeze. Planting his feet firmly on the floor, he leaned himself out the window to get a better look around outside. _Where there's smoke, there's bound to be fire,_ his mind unconsciously told him as he scanned the street. It took him merely a few seconds before he caught sight of it in his haste. Sure enough, there it was: Smoke. This wasn't just any normal barbeque grilled smoke either…this was definitely the real thing. Something, whatever it was, was burning not far from the boy's mansion on Twilight Lane.

"Awesome," he said, idly, jumping out of his seat in hopes of seeing behind the houses that obscured his view. He still couldn't glimpse any flames from where he was, but a certain spark, that had not been there seconds before, seemed to light deep within him.

Axel didn't seem to care if the fire was burning a house, or burning human flesh—well, of course he'd _care_, but that would only hit him if he saw _that_ for himself. As of the moment, the red-haired pyro-maniac was only interested in the flames…how he _wished_ to see them up close. To _feel_ the heat pressing against his pale face would become the reminder the red head had been waiting for: A reminder that this day, July 16, 18XX was a day different from all others! To the young master, any disruption, distortion, or alteration from being a 'perfect' day became one of his favorite days. He would go as far as to mark these particular days on his calendar hanging idly on the wall opposite.

Life was just _that_ boring, and with life this dull, the redhead_ needed_ these 'calamities' to remind him that he was still alive. It was a good life, nonetheless, but for someone like Axel…? The boy would probably appreciate being out in the Deep Jungle rather than being stuck in this boring, century old mansion as the heir in an important aristocratic line: the all-important Family of Diamonds. The Diamonds happened to be ranked second in power of the four noble families in Horizon's End. The Family of Hearts had always taken the responsibility of the city, as a whole, ranking the highest amongst everyone else—the most powerful, yet most loved family amongst the peoples.

In a swift swoop, the boy quickly strode over to his calendar; an unmistakably wide grin upon his once dazed façade. "Demyx!" he called, absentmindedly, "_Demyx!_"

There didn't seem to be any reply to the boy's loud calls, until another rather distant voice seemed to call out too: "Demyx—_Boy_!" it screamed, a voice Axel knew very well to be Xigbar's, "The Axe of Doom summons _you_! Are _you_ prepared...?"

The redhead shrugged his shoulders: _what…the heck. _This must have been the seventh time that week his father called him that. The little nicknames annoyed him to no end.

Trying to erase Xigbar from his mind, Axel took out his usual black-ink pen and began to mark in the square of the specified date. He proceeded to scribble, _fire on street_ in some rather small sloppy characters next to the diamond marking he made. After finishing with that, out of pure curiosity, he flipped back a few months to glimpse the last time he marked in the flimsy thing. At the first moment he recognized his own scrawled out handwriting he stopped flipping around. JANUARY was the month printed in clear, bold letters at the top of the page.

A slight smile crawled across his face as he read the uneven letters: _Naminé's 10th birthday._ Not that the redhead found of the girl (apparently two years younger than he was) to be particularly attractive, but she _was_ to be his future wife. Both Xigbar, the head of the Diamonds, and Master Cloud, the head of the Hearts, had agreed it upon this at the girl's birth. A wedding between Naminé and Axel would allow a joint union between the two families. This unity would not only bring more power to both, but also intended to be good for the people. The redhead knew the little blonde haired-girl with her cute smile and kind eyes to be very pretty, indeed, but she was definitely not the type he would choose had he the choice in the matter.

At around the same time the young master began flipping the pages back to today's date, he heard some rather distinguished footsteps heading toward his door. Judging by sound of stumbling feet and random nonsense grumbling, Axel knew it to be the servant boy he had called for. It was only a matter of time until young Demyx slipped into his master's room, a frown most evident on his bored-looking face. This relatively new servant boy had only just started working under the Family of Diamonds for about two weeks.The red headknew only a few things about this mysteriously lazy, whinny, sitar-obsessed, mohawked dirty blonde kid. Aside from the fact that Demyx was five and a half years older than he was, Axel knew practically nothing about him. The sitar player could be a thief or marauder or something else for all he knew!

His father always seemed to avoid the topic whenever he attempted to bring it up.

The dirty blonde sighed, scratching the side of his head as though he were utterly annoyed with something, "…You realize, Xigbar—"

"_Master_ Xigbar." Axel corrected, grinning widely at the other, his emerald eyes inspecting the elder boy with interest. Unlike his other servants, Demyx had his own personal wardrobe of relatively casual and decent clothes; it would be hard to determine, from a commoner's perspective, that the guy was a servant. Even the redhead would have thought him to be from an aristocratic family himself…

"Same difference!" snapped Demyx gritting his teeth, "That damn father of yours—!"

Crossing his arms, Axel's gaze darkened causing Demyx to hold his tongue. The boy's grin never seemed to falter despite his heavy stare.

"He's not my father, and it's _Sir_ or _Mister_ or _Master_," retorted the younger one, striding over to his furnished and newly polished desk. "Got it memorized…?"

"Argh—Whatever! The point is he—that man's on _something!_"

The redhead chuckled at hearing this information ring in his ears. The twelve-year old needed no reminder of Xigbar's 'slight' problem…He became aware of it ever since the old geezer dropped him in their garden fountain on accident when he was only a wee lad. The head of Diamonds claimed to have mistaken the poor child for dirty clothes…_He was probably drunk at the time_, Axel told himself, hoping, _dearly,_ that that was the case. He didn't want his father being entirely senile…not only because they were related, but also because he held a rather powerful position in their city. Who knows what kind of trouble a madman would do with such power…?

Waving his hand absentmindedly, Axel beckoned the mohawked teenager toward him. Reluctantly, Demyx obeyed keeping himself a relatively safe distance from the younger boy, only to find himself having to scoot in a little closer inch by inch as a result of the other's demand. The sitar player knew rather well how his young master loved to play tricks, especially on hopeless people like himself. Age never did stop the redhead from beating the crap out of his new servant at _anything_ (except literal beatings, that was meant metaphorically).

When the reluctant teen had finally come within a foot away from where he stood, Axel gave a satisfied nod that where he stood was fine.

"Distract Xigbar for me. There's something I'm _dying_ to check out."

The blonde returned a blank stare mouth slightly agape. So many questions seemed to build up in the teen's mind as his searched for any sign of a 'just kidding' in the redhead's features. Noticing how serious the Axel was, in panic he gasped, "Y-You can't—Why _me_…?"

"Simple enough, isn't it?"

"B-but…! _Why_?"

"Do it, or I raid your room."

"You've got the wrong guy, _sir_, seriously! Look't me!" Demyx had begun to spin around in circles, certainly hoping he wouldn't have to spend another minute with the psychotic hunter. "He shot holes in my pants!" At this, the teen revealed the various holes that adorned his ivory colored pants. The young master had not noticed them there until they were pointed out, "He'll kill me! Beside, the _hell _are you going to check out? You're not trying to sneak out _again_, are you?"

Axel ignored most of Demyx's loud banter, and instead, waltzed over to his open window again to make sure the smoke hadn't died down. He had a good hunch that the smoke would still be there when he looked; it had only been but a few minutes since he last glimpsed it off in the distance. Fortunately for him, the smoke had not died down…but unfortunately, for whoever lived in that area, the smoke clouds had gotten much larger. The flames, themselves, must have reached the roof of whatever house it was by now, or something, because he was able to see them without attempting to strain his neck out the window… The intense of aroma of smoke was so bad it made his eyes burn.

"Holy _shit_!"

It was Demyx's voice that shrieked at the sight of the blaze. The teenage blondie had given up on loud bantering at the very moment he noticed his young master was not paying any attention to him. Flustered at being ignored, he barely took a few steps toward the where Axel stood before he too smelled the scent of smoke. The dirty blonde literally pushed Axel out of the way as he stumbled over to the window to get a better look. It wasn't hard to find…especially with the huge funnels of dark, gray smoke that seemed to pierce the once perfect blue sky above. Streaks of red—the tint of blood—appeared to wound sky above…_bad sign._

By this time, Axel and Demyx were no longer the only people in the neighborhood who noticed this odd disturbance to their peaceful part on the Right Side. The spectacle could probably be seen clear on the Opposite Side of the City, in the slums of Horizon's End. There seemed to be crowds of people down in the streets now, mingling and talking rapidly, with horrified looks on their paled faces. A few just rushed outside of their houses to see the smoke, while everyone else rushed, like a hurried mob, in the direction of the smoke. They all wanted to glimpse the wreckage, but more importantly, they all prayed, hoping that the gods had spared their house or even their beloved family.

Axel had just about opened his mouth to suggest something to Demyx, when the door suddenly shot open. It slammed rather hard against the wall, causing the house to shudder on impact. The two boys spun around, utterly surprised to find Xigbar at the doorway with some longhaired blonde old guy at his side. Axel didn't know their visitor personally, but he had seen him around enough times to know exact who he was…

_Vexen,_ he growled the name to himself with great malice. The redhead just _knew_ he would never grow to like this mad scientist of a fellow. His long locks and serious air always seemed unpleasant for the boy. Also, for some reason or another, the creep brought with him a little tip of bad news around with him. With a wounded sky and Vexen standing in his room, the boy could no longer shake off the queasy feeling he had long felt in his stomach since that morning.

"What happened?" asked the boy, emerald orbs narrowing as the longhaired blonde took several more steps into his room. "And why's _he_ here?"

"Nothing that concerns you, kid," mused his father, laughing lightly, "Bit of a smoke problem, that's all." Ignoring Axel's accusing glare, the old geezer glanced over at Vexen and continued, "_He's_ here to see Demyx. _Right_?"

At this remark, the fifteen-year-old servant jumped, "M-me?" he gasped, eyeing the visitor warily.

"I don't quite recall saying that," interjected a rather indifferent Vexen, furrowing his brow as he, too, eyed Demyx warily. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you again so soon, Demyx. Had I known…I'd have surely brought a well-deserved present for you, _servant boy_."

The youngest of the group could only glance from person to person, in hopes of getting some kind of explanation to what was going on. Despite not knowing, he seemed to dislike this blonde visitor all the more. The emphasis on Demyx's minor status in society, and the tone of voice the scientist spoke in made the redhead wish to knock him a good one on the side of the head.

Unlike his son, Xigbar only shrugged his shoulders at this, using a finger to idly scratch around the sides of his patched right eye—this injury was probably the most distinguishable feature (other than the skunk-like appearance his hair had) on the head of Diamonds. It was obvious to anyone that Vexen, advisor of the head Family of Spades, had no time to play pretend games; the man came strictly on business. There was no need for him to talk to a mere servant boy anyway.

"I, actually, came to—"

Xigbar's face seemed to twist into a wicked smile, interrupting the other man as he proceeded to speak; "Axe, go pick up Kairi. She'd be at the police station by now."

"Why's she there?"

"Kid, be a good boy and just _go_, alright?"

Fighting the urge to talk back, the redhead took one last glimpse around his humble room before slowly slumping toward the door. He moved sluggishly in hopes of hearing at least a little bit of what they had to talk about. Axel wasn't stupid, he knew very well that Xigbar was trying to hide the juicy details. What irked him was how his father could just barge into his own room then simply kick him out, just like that! Couldn't the old geezer talk with the old scientist some place else…some place safer…some place, _any_ place other than his room? Other than the irk-y feeling, the boy was also rather annoyed with the fact that they hadn't dismissed Demyx either. So, the servant boy could be in on it, but not the Diamond's own heir left out…? The nerve of them!

Not a single word was uttered as he walked through the open doorway of his invaded sanctuary and into the hall. With hands shoved into the two front pockets of his long pants, he decided to linger about the hallway for a bit; he stood a bit out of sight just in case. He figured that perhaps they'd start talking if he left the room and thought he had gone for sure.

A few seconds passed…and then a few minutes passed. It was either they knew he was still their or were hesitating to bring the topic up; not knowing how to start their conversation. Axel was anxious to listen in since he wasn't quite sure whether his father had been lying about his cousin, Kairi, hanging out at the police office. If she really was there, the redhead figured the girl could wait a bit before he went to pick her up. Patience, he told himself as he leaned his back up against the decorative wallpaper.

After what seemed like more than twenty-five minutes, Demyx's voice finally rose above the stillness: "Kairi's your niece, ain't she?" The question was obviously directed to Xigbar.

"She must be traumatized by now," was Xigbar's reply, his voice slightly sour, "I could only imagine how it felt to stare death in the face like that." There appeared to be a brief pause where he must have shifted his eyes to look at Vexen, "…Details?"

"Oh, you want details?" said the scientist. Axel seemed to picture a cruel smile upon the man's face about then, "Well, for one thing, your son is without a fiancée."

"What's that s'posed to mean? I'm not good at guessing games."

Once again, another wave of silence seemed to hush over the three huddled within the room. _Without a fiancée?_ _Was the man talking about Naminé?_ Clearing his mind, Axel made sure to open both ears as he listened closely to whatever Vexen had to say next. Had the blonde girl, or her father, backed out on their proposal…? Or was it…? It was at that moment that something clicked in the redhead's mind. He stood there dumbstruck at the mere thought of it. _The fire._ Pictures of the wreckage he witnessed bled into his conscience. How he hoped these images was wrong—

"—The Hearts are no more, Xigbar; they're all dead."

"W-Wha…? N-no way!" gasped a most astonished Demyx, "The Family of Hearts? Everyone? _Dead_?"

"I'm sure you noticed the putrid odor of smoke from here," scathed the scientist, as he took a few steps toward the door. Noticing this, Axel quickly scooted a bit further away from the doorway. "That's _their_ mansion. It's a horrible wreck…" a cynical chuckle seemed to leave his lips before he finished: "You probably wouldn't recognize it anymore."

At hearing this, Axel quickly sped down the hallway; his mind up in a semi-panic.

Kairi wasn't merely hanging around with the policeman; she was there for a reason, and he understood this perfectly, now. Xigbar hadn't made it up…his cousin had left their house early that same morning to visit Sora—the heir to the Family of Hearts. _She could be hurt,_ he thought to himself as he hastily jumped down the stairs to get down to the base floor. Truthfully, though, the boy was more interested in knowing what had taken place…and if it was true that they were _all_ dead. If Kairi was at the police station, then she wasn't dead. So how'd she survive…?

Aside from that question, the redhead just couldn't imagine the fall of the Family of Hearts. To see the blank faces and splatter blood dripping along their marvelous marble floor was just something he could not see—or maybe just refused to accept. _The great Cloud, his mistress Aerith, and their heirs—Naminé_…_and her brothers…_To see their smiling faces forever dissolved in those blasted flames he, himself, had grown obsessed over. So much immaturity on his part—at least that's how he saw it. He had lost his future wife, while Kairi had lost her best friend. More importantly, the most essential component to all of Horizon's End had been depleted. The Hearts were the key to the city's unity. Even Axel, a twelve-year-old boy, could feel a new age coming soon to their peaceful city.

Frustrated, the young master sped through the ballroom and over to the large, front double doors of his mansion. With a little less than a glimpse at his idled-looking shoes, he slipped them on and ran out, leaving the door ajar as he found himself in his front yard. It was more of a front _garden_ with the front gate some distance away. The house was too damn big! Axel was already out of breath from rushing to get out, and that said a lot about the house.

Without waiting to catch his breath, the young master sprinted down the paved walkway toward the gate in the distance. Being a relatively good runner, he arrived at its foot in less than a few minutes, and wasted no time in opening it and slipping into the bustling street of Twilight Lane. Just as he had witnessed from his window, there were still dozens people heading in the direction of the distant flames. Actually, it was so crowded; Axel would need to worm his way through the people. Thankfully, though, the police station was in the same direction as the way traffic was flowing, so he wouldn't have that much trouble getting to where he wanted to go.

"Here goes…" he muttered under his breath as he dived into the sea of people, his thin body easily allowing him to slip passed larger and taller obstructions.

What happened next went so quickly that Axel could not possibly understand what had actually taken place. All his attention was so focused on where he wanted to end up that he didn't see the other boy also rushing rapidly in the opposite direction of the way everyone else was headed. This boy walked dazed-like…his blonde locks damp with sweat and stuck to his heated skin as he continued to worm his way through the street. No one paid him any attention. Not a single person. They just walked passed him, unaware that the way he was going was the totally opposite was of where they were going. It was like he wasn't there…like he was a ghost that only one person could see.

Axel caught sight of the boy the moment he was about four meters away from him. For the briefest moment his emerald orbs locked eyes with the dilated blue eyes of this saddened boy. Unconsciously, without even realizing it, his mind memorized all of this mysterious stranger's features: from his bloodshot blue eyes, to his unkempt blonde hair, and even to his torn up ragged dress pants and shirt. It was at that very moment he laid eyes on the other when the queasy feeling in his stomach dissipated, as though it had been waiting for this boy to come along all this time. Curious, the redhead stopped abruptly, mindlessly watching this younger boy teeter passed him. His emerald eyes never stopped gazing; it wasn't until the blonde slipped out of sight did Axel regain himself…

_Who was that…? _A presence so familiar…He swore he had seen that child before, but where, he didn't know. _He looked a bit like Sor—_

"Keep movin'!" yelled an anxious spectator from behind him. Axel, too, was just as angry as the one who was taking their rage out on him. That totally shook the boy back to reality. That same pedestrian even went as far as thwacking the boy over the head with his walking stick. The boy grimaced, shooting both the infamous fierce glare and the finger at the old man waiting behind him—a double bonus. Only people who were really capable of pissing the young master off got both the glare _and_ the finger. Without waiting for a response from the old guy, Axel dove back into the crowd of people. His mind was, once again, completely focused on reaching the police station…

…The strange encounter with the other boy…completely erased from his mind. Not a single imprint of it left in his present memory.

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Uhh...Long prologue! I'll post chapter 1 soon (hopefully in two or three days). Reviews, anyone?

In the Chapter to come: Axel...gets himself a new fiancee (that he hates to death)!And Roxas is finally introduced! xD


	2. Chapter 1

Summary: Axel's an ignorant aristocratic boy from one of the Four Families of Horizon's End (Rebirth, it was later renamed), and Roxas is a poor kid out on the streets...but was he always peasant? That is the question, isn't it. Alternate Universe: AnAkuRoku fic. Based in aVictorian Era twisted with a modern-day sort of thing. (weird no?)

Author's Notes: Finally...Chapter 1! I just finished it right now ;. I changed the rating from T to M...I realized how mature this fic was going to be so I upped it a bit. Just by writing this first chapter I realized it, haha xD! At one point in this fic I attempted to make it "funny". I tell you, though, I'm not a very funny-sort of writer...so...yeah. I'd also like to add that I am not an AerithxCloud fan (a pairing that can be seen in the prologue). I just thought Tifa would be more useful to the story than Aerith would. I'm more of a TifaxCloud fan, and not to mention, most of the pairings that I have put in this chapter...I don't quite agree with either. But, there are some out there who do like it, so this chapter's for ya'all! Don't let all these pairings decieve you...the main one is still AxelxRoxas.Hope this chapter doesn't bore. R+R, please!

Warning: You actually get to see somesexual references in this chapter. So that's a warning. Plus there's language. So yeah. Just a head's up. If you don't like yaoi, I don't know why you're here...cause this is an AkuRoku fic. Yeah...

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**Chapter 1: The Opposite Side of Town**

"No—_Hell _no!"

The not-so-young heir to the Diamond mansion happened to be very infuriated by the news his father's servant had brought him only seconds ago. It's been a good five years since the horrible demise of the Family of Hearts. Yet truthfully speaking, the teen didn't quite remember much of what happened back then; all he knew for sure was the fact that he had lost his fiancée, Naminé, to some bastard who murdered her and the rest of her family. Despite the fact that this disaster happened quite a while back, it was affecting Axel's life, now, _way_ more than it did back then. Loosing his beautiful fiancée put the redhead in a rather tight situation especially since his eighteenth birthday was closing in fast…

_Damn Xigbar,_ _damn his eye patch; _he thought crossly imagining the smug grin across that old geezer's face as he had relayed this information to Demyx. It was imperative (according to Demyx) that he get himself hooked up with a wife, or at least one in waiting. It was tradition for one of such high status to have a fiancée. It made one look sharp—look sophisticated! If Axel were to remain fiancée-less, however, everyone in Horizon's Rebirth (the new name for the city) would have the privilege of laughing at him and his family whenever they walked by. And that, was the last thing Lord Xigbar needed.

"Hey, hey! No attacking the innocent bystander," cried Demyx, trying to protect his precious mohawk, "This was all Xigbar—"

"—'My Lord's'—"

"—Riiiight. This was _his_ suggestion. Not mine. Got it? I don't know how I can put up with you two…_seriously_. You guys have the weirdest relationship on the face of the planet!"

The last remark went completely ignored. Crossing his arms, the redhead paced about the room in absolute annoyance. Axel was trying to figure a way out of this stupid situation. Impatiently, he stole an angered glance over at the piece of paper Demyx had recited the 'important' explanation from.

It lay there on his desk looking rather innocent…but the boy knew differently; _ohh_… how he wished he could light that blasted, idle thing aflame! His father's intentions must have been to either torture him for the rest of his humble life, or perhaps, the old geezer had grown weary of the under toned laughs from the idiotic Family of Spades. Everyone hated the Spades, anyway, so _who cares about what other people think?_

He shrugged his shoulders; _I don't want to marry—_

"Why Larxene?" cried the seventeen year old, grabbing onto the Demyx's shoulders, "Of all people…I'd rather marry _you_!"

Demyx could only shrug his shoulders in hopes that his younger master would release him, "I'm flattered, Axel, _really_. But you'd need to bring that up with your fa—with my lord. Besides, I'd have to decline your offer. Wouldn't want to be the root problem of your family's disgrace…you get me?"

The mohawked servant laughed at his own 'witty' joke, and seated himself on one of Axel's comfy sofas along the eastern wall of the room.

Despite Demyx's status as servant of the mansion, he rarely did anything servant-like. The others seemed to handle all the chores; the mohawk blonde and his grand sitar were merely there just to be there. If the Axel were to look at it from an awfully mean perspective, he would probably notice that this 'servant' was but a waste of space in their household. He, of course, was not _that_ mean, but he had known this for the longest time.

Xigbar refused talk to him about where Demyx came from. Actually, Axel didn't seem very willing to find out about it anyway. He liked the sitarist's company; it gave him something better to do rather than just the normal routine every single day. And that was good enough for him.

Axel had no friends beyond his gates, and being home schooled, he hardly had any contact with other children his age. The nobles hang out with nobles, and the commoners hang out with commoners. You need to stick with your own kind. That's how he had been taught. The redhead didn't seem to like it at all, really. If he had it his way, he'd be out of this house in a heartbeat.

Demyx was the only person who'd ever listen to him and talk to him. He was an unwilling friend for, if given the choice, Axel knew, Demyx wouldn't talk to him like this. If given the choice, Demyx would go out on his own, spend time with _his_ friends. The blonde hardly agreed with half the stuff the redhead suggested they do together. Doing fun stuff, like pull pranks and mess around, were not part of this 'servant's' resume. The sitar player was only there to talk to—nothing more.

"What's wrong with having Larxene as your fiancée?"

Axel stared in disbelief at him, "She's arrogant, a sadistic freak, a brat, a total snob, _and_ a bitch!" he exclaimed, his tone progressively increasing with every word that passed his lips, "Oh, did I mention, a _complete_ slut, too? She's all of my fucking pet peeves put into one! Is that even _fucking_ possible?"

"You're doing it again," said the sitarist in his usual sing-y-song-y kind of voice, a grin glowing proudly on his smug face, "Cussing, I mean."

"FUCK!"

"Strike three. Yer out!"

Thanks the redheads high-toned fuming, Demyx managed to slip out of the teen's grasp and regain himself. The servant had had some influence over his master the passed couple years. The most apparent imprint he had left on Axel was in vocabulary…and he was dead _proud_ of it too! Before the sitar player had joined the family, the young master had not even uttered a single cuss word before. He actually didn't know what the term 'to cuss' meant. That was, until Demyx came into the picture. These days, the boy said it at least five times every other hour; his days were never complete without something good to badmouth over.

"Just shut—!"

"Mhmm…?"

"—the door, or something…! ARGH!"

It was rather infuriating for Axel, really. Even though Demyx was quite pleased, he was _definitely_ not. After the last incident at the Family of Spades' ceremonial gathering…Axel tried his best to limit the amount of disrespect he let slip from his mouth. To see Saix's (the Spade's most honorable advisor/heir) face twist into the oddest expression of disbelief imaginable was _priceless_. It was so good that several attendees at the event would have paid money to see it again! Had it not been for the circumstances, Axel, too, would have laughed at that time, but the harsh slap across the face prevented that. Afterward, the boy didn't hear the end of it from his father…the old geezer's hearty laugh still reverberated deep within his being. To be laughed at by Xigbar was the redhead's worst punishment. He would never get scolded, but…he was _always_ made fun of.

"Where _is_ the old geezer, anyway?"

"Out. Went hunting with Luxord this morning." Implied the servant-boy in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

Axel was hardly surprised. The old man hardly did anything without the company of Luxord, a childhood buddy of his—Head of the Family of Clovers. Hunting happened to be one of their most favorite things to do first thing in the morning. Xigbar was always ecstatic about adding another head to his Wall of Game. "There are so heartless to claim!" he would bellow with a laugh; in essence the man wasn't going to stop until the head of every single species.

The redhead turned away from Demyx and headed for the door, finding that standing in his room doing nothing wasn't going to help change his predicament. He entered out into the newly remade hallway, and glanced down the west end of the mansion.

Demyx, who had hoped to get a few hours of shuteye on his master's sofa, eventually got up and followed reluctantly.

"Where are you off to?" questioned the sitarist, cocking an eyebrow.

"Somewhere. Since when were you so interested?"

Demyx shuffled his feet uncomfortably; knowing what he was going to say would reflect itself in the other's rage and anger again. He had done so well to get Axel's temper to drop almost completely, but he now had the feeling he was going to have to bring it up again…

"Xigb—_Lord_ Xigbar wanted me to mention…" he began, fumbling with his fingers, "They're having a celebration…this evening…for your betrothal to-to-to Larxene."

Axel wouldn't hear it. The moment the word 'betrothal' left the other's lips, the redhead was long gone. He merely flew up his arms and walked away. Marriage was the last thing he wanted on his mind. Truthfully speaking, the guy didn't even _want_ to get married! He could advise alone, couldn't he? The teen let an exasperated sigh leave him; he knew all too well that that wasn't the reason why he needed to marry. He needed an heir to pass on the Diamond lineage. To produce either a daughter or a son, it didn't matter, as long as there was someone to pass on the line…_Man, why can't Kairi have that job?_

Not knowing what to do or where to go, he firmly decided that seeing his cousin wasn't so much a bad idea. Whenever he had any troublesome problems he always came to see her…because, other than Demyx, Kairi was the only person who would listen to his ranting without interrupting him. _She won't mind a visit,_ he thought to himself, a small smile forming itself across his weary face.

Kairi rather enjoyed her time spent with Axel; it gave her a bit of company in this large place. She was almost always secluded and by herself. The girl never came out of her room. She even refuses to speak a word, even to her closest cousin! Only a warm smile, a few hand gestures, and nod were the most Axel had seen from her ever since…ever since…_when was that again?_

Axel furrowed his brow, trying to think back again. _Sora's death?_ He nodded hopelessly to himself, trying to remember the exact circumstance, _that's got to be it! It was around the time of the Hearts incident, I know that…But damn them for causing all these problems!_

The trauma of seeing the demise of the Hearts first hand most likely still haunted her. She had been extremely close with the Hearts, especially to one of the first son of the family: Sora. The two of them were practically inseparable! Axel wondered, most of the time, as to why Xigbar didn't make their marriage the official one instead of his to young Naminé.

Their murder—that event—changed her entire personality from a fun, outgoing little girl to a solemn, silent one. She is probably ten times more reserved than even Naminé was, or at least, what the redhead could recollect of the sweet girl.

After what seemed like only a few more seconds, Axel finally arrived at the foot of her enormously large, decorated double doors, an interesting fragrance of freesia seemed to linger about from within the closer he came to it. Promptly, he knocked, then opened it a little to peep inside. His emerald eyes peered curiously around the room for any sign of his younger relative. He didn't want to disturb Kairi if she didn't want any visitors, but in the next moment, a much smaller, redheaded girl was tugging Axel into the room.

He didn't resist her; instead, he eagerly followed her inside, closing the door quietly behind him. The fragrance was much stronger, now, but it didn't seem to hurt his nose at all. It was quite the contrary; Axel felt cozy and much more at home here than he did in his room even. How familiar this scent seemed to him…

Kairi tugged at his newly pressed, dress shirt and with rather cheerfully sad eyes, turned to look up at her elder cousin. She led him over to the center of the room where a small tea table laid waiting.

Her gentle eyes of purple seemed to comfort him in his angered state. He couldn't help but smile warmly back at her. He could never take his anger out on the girl no matter how angry he was. She was far too sweet and fragile to yell at; Axel was afraid she'd break whenever he raised his voice.

"Easy, there!" he teased watching as the girl forcefully motioned him toward the table. Once the she made sure Axel was securely seated, she sat in her own comfy chair opposite him.

Despite her weary, tired appearance, she was still very pretty. The dress she wore was especially elegant and seemed to flow with every movement she made.

The small table that stood between them held a number of different treats that Axel could hardly refuse to snag. Kairi, too, also grabbed for herself a number of truffles she had grown to like. They ate in mutual silence, and only periodically looked up at one another in acknowledgement.

Axel easily leaned back against the chair in satisfaction, licking his fingers mindlessly as he stared up at the painted ceiling. Eating was always a great way to relieve stress.

As silent as Kairi always was, she stared intently at her cousin, eyes studying his every movement with worry. The girl knew Axel well enough to understand exactly when he had something pressing on his mind. For one thing, the red head seemed to always come to her to talk off his problems—not that she minded, of course—but it was almost natural for him to pay a visit when he was feeling strained.

Curiously she waited, wondering what in the world could be bothering him now.

Tearing his gaze away from the acrylic painting above, his emerald eyes found Kairi's purple ones. He smiled weakly at her, trying to figure out what to say first:

"Don't give me that look, Kairi," he chuckled, pointing at her accusingly, "You'll look like an old lady sooner than you think if you keep doing that, ya know."

Kairi grinned at this, resting her chin on the table. A guilty look seemed to radiate from her pouty lips and scrunched nose.

"Heh. Think you can put up with me for another hour?"

She blinked approvingly at him; both eyes and ears were completely attentative to his every word.

"All righty, then," he confirmed, tapping his index finger against his knee, "You still remember Marl-y's sister, right? Well, that bitch and that idiot old geezer of mine, they…"

* * *

"'eyyy…blondie, mind getting yer ass off _my _lot?"

The blondie in question managed to wake himself from his nightmare, and sit upright. For a moment he felt a little lightheaded, his mind up in a daze. The fifteen-year-old boy could have sworn that the one who just kicked him was someone important, perhaps a high-ranking stuck-up aristocrat, or something. The impertinent voice and harsh jab to the side had literally caused him into a brief state of confusion and almost utter terror. Because of his whirling state, it wasn't until his eyes fully focused on man hovering over him that he realized who it was.

_Noble…?_ the boy thought with a laugh, _oh, _that_ would be the day._

The fifteen-year-old had to suppress his obnoxious laughter by covering his mouth as he stared up at the rude man. Had it been a nobleman, sure, he'd get worried. The thing was, though, this neighbor that was hovering over him now…was far from being high-class. Actually, he was just a meager worker, and workers _never_ had any shot at nobility no matter how hard they worked.

With a shrug, blondie simply laid back down upon the cemented sidewalk, sapphire eyes gazing back at the bleach-blonde worker who had woken him.

"G'mornin' to you too, Cid," yawned the younger blonde, blinking back teary eyes.

"_Ha_—?" the stout man, puffed at his meager cigarette then bent over to get a better look at the boy, "—Oh! Well, if it isn't Small Fry! Didn't recognize yah there for a sec'."

'Small Fry' had to stand up so Cid could get a better look at him. Over the years, the man's eyesight seemed to worsen a thousand times over, and he _still_ refused to buy a pair of spectacles. He not only refused to believe he had bad eyesight, but he also found any sort of material that was worn to enhance anything to be weak.

Cid towered over the boy, his face leering down at him with his all-knowing smugness. Smoke from the cigarette breathed through each strand of the younger blonde's hair, causing his eyes to water even more than they were already.

Waving his hand impatiently 'Small Fry' swiped the cigarette from the other's mouth and threw it on the floor. "Quit that! " he stammered, his face pale, "You know how much I hate smoke."

"Temper, temper, Kid. No need to get all feisty-like," grumbled the man, pulling out another cigarette from his small shirt pocket. "Sorry for waking you up, but seriously, Roxas, yeh really can't sleep there."

"I don't remember this being yer lot," scoffed the boy, a bright, teasing smile evident across his face.

Cid raised a brow, "You got me there, but they have this new law…"

"Screw the law. I don't care. It's those damn aristocrats…"

Cid crossed his arms, walking around the boy inspecting every aspect of young Roxas. Despite the fact that he was dirty, ragged, and held the disgusting stench of onions, there was something about him that sent the message that this boy was more, or at least, had been more than just a mere peasant.

The guy even remembered the first time blondie first came into the slums. Roxas looked nothing like what he did now. He was a mess, of course, but he didn't stink or look _this_ repulsive. Surely, the kid hadn't showered in over a week.

Cid placed the cigarette in his mouth unlighted, "Bad mouthing the folks yer brother claimed you two were from, eh…? If I remember correctly, you also tried to persuade me you were some noble-boy too."

"Drop it. I did that only _once_."

"Once, huh? Your bro did it a whole lot. _Yeesh!_ And look what became of him! I'm sure you remember what happened to him. It's a good thing you stopped saying that kind o' crap! Imagine what could have—!"

"_Whatever!_ Just shut it, old man!"

Roxas turned away from Cid, face twisted in anger.

The much older blonde scratched the back of his head and shrugged. He got the picture, and quickly backed off the topic. It was rather harsh talking about it first thing in the morning. That was probably the last sort of thing Roxas wanted on his mind. Cid even felt bad about reminding the kid about it.

Usually, it was all jokes and fun with little Roxas, but at times, he could be pretty serious. He was quite touchy about certain things, some more than others. The smoking habit happened to be one of the boy's major pet peeves, but talking about his brother…well, that was much more than just a simple pet peeve.

Roxas had been very close with his older brother, or at least that's how Cid saw it. He was a ditzy kid with brown hair and stunning sapphire eyes that mirrored those of Roxas's. They looked so much a like that, everyone knew them to be twins despite their difference in hair color.

Cid never knew the boy's real name, or maybe it _had_ really been his name. Though, it wasn't the sort of name you'd usually want to claim yourself to be. _Sora_ was the name Roxas had called him. It was an understandable name; surely, there were many Sora's out there. Unfortunately, though, that wasn't the picture Roxas's brother was trying to get across. He didn't claim to just be some peasant/middle class boy with that name. He claimed to be _Sora_. _The_ Sora. The One who had been hailed as heir successor of the Heart's name!

The nerve of that kid! Trying to get everyone to believe that he was _that_ child. The real Sora had, of course, been killed during the fire incident—every single-family member had been killed. Even Cloud, the most renowned swordsman in the city, had fallen at the clutches of the mansion's burning flames, so how could a mere nine-year-old survive just like that?

Sure, the bleach blonde hadn't been there to witness the burning up close, but there were many, _many_ witnesses. There were even burnt corpses of each member photographed in the paper to prove that they were all dead! It was fraud. It was outrageous! Roxas's brother had nearly set Horizon's End at a turn for the worst by claiming such blasphemies. Cid had warned the child to take back everything he had claimed, hoping that perhaps, people would forget about it.

Roxas, himself, even begged his brother to stop after a while.

_Standing up for what you believe is better than not._ Those words echoed in the back of the Roxas's mind…Sora's voice, reassuring him that everything was okay, that things would go back to normal… To follow his heart. To never back down on it…

Sora had believed in his heart to the very end.

Even through _death_.

It was a public execution: one that neither Cid nor Roxas would ever forget. He was shot to death. An execution only saved for the most horrible blasphemies. Guns, of course, were prohibited within Horizon's End up until that point. That had been the first time in history that they held a public execution. The first time in history someone was shot for speaking out what they believed in. The first time in history a boy was executed…

Times had certainly changed since Cloud oversaw Horizon's End…things became _much_ more hectic and _much_ more eventful than before. There was no equal balance between the Families of Aristocracy anymore. With four Families there was a sense of stability, but now that there were only three…the balance was lost forever.

The Diamonds had always had their partnership with the Hearts. The Spades always had their partnership with the Clovers. But they were uneven now. Even with the so-called Family-Truce, they were still permeable. It was such a loose alliance that it was easy to see that all three families were struggling for ultimate power. They were all struggling for the position to replace the Hearts at the very top of the food chain.

Roxas shook his head, obviously aggravated. Just thinking about that, made the boy detest—even _hate_—the three Families. Those very same Families that Sora had protested and even tried persuading that they were from! They were Cloud's kids! They were the Heart's heirs! They had survived the 'flames'! It was true! It was true! They—_he_—knew the truth about what really happened that day…

Sadly, though, the truth was only to be known in Roxas's heart. No one would believe him, anyway. Plus, if he said anything…he might just end up… _like Sora…_he thought, closing his eyes thoughtfully, _why'd he have to be so stubborn? He would have lived if only he…_

"I'm off. Send my regards to Merlin, would you?"

The bleach-blonde man rubbed his chin questionably before replying, "Yeah, sure thing, Small Fry." Cid finally lit his cigarette, and took a puff before adding: "Take care, 'kay?"

Cid watched Roxas stalk off for a moment, before he came hobbling after him. A simple 'take care' just didn't seem to feel right. The man had known the kid for a good five years now…he almost felt attached to the little guy in a nonchalant way.

With a firm grip he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Roxas turned around, his bang slightly hiding his wide sapphire orbs.

"'Ey, you should think of getting a job, or something," muttered the old man, feeling relatively sympathetic with the boy, "Leon'll give you sumthing to do. Sumthing to live off of, at least."

Roxas considered it a moment, trying to remember who 'Leon' was again. There were so many people in the slums it was ridiculous! The boy could hardly remember any of their names no matter how many times they talked. And on top of that, every day there always seemed to be some new guy strolling around that he had never seen before in his entire life.

"Forgot what he looks like already?"

"No," Roxas lied, "Where's he now?" _Smooth, Roxas, smooth. Act like you know what you're talking about._

The elder(ly) blonde broke out in a laugh, "You've never met the guy, Fry! I'm just playin' wit yah! He's a middle classman: A laid back brute that has a soft spot for brats like you. You'll find him hanging around Sound Street."

Roxas felt his face grow hot. Frowning, he stomped away from the older man.

Cid didn't follow this time. Only a shallow grin seemed to press oddly against his barely parted lips, "Might wanna wash up a bit before yeh go, though…Might scare the children."

The blonde shot the old man a fierce glare over his shoulder before turning the corner and disappearing from sight.

Roxas really didn't want to get a job, but with the new law implemented, it seemed the blonde had little choice in that matter. There seemed to be more and more laws coming down on the lower classes from those above.

_It wasn't like life isn't bad enough already_, he cursed angrily to himself as he strolled down the cement sidewalk ignoring the curious glances from rich couples strolling by. How he envied those who didn't seem to have a single care in the world. How he envied that life where everything you wanted was given to you…and you could waste it as you pleased. Roxas had had a mere taste of that life as a boy, but those days seemed long gone now. They almost seemed like a dream… sometimes he even questioned his own whereabouts. At times, he even doubted that he once was an heir to the Heart's name.

Back when his family was still in power, there was hardly anyone in the slums. The slums actually never came into existence until their downfall when more and more people began to loose their jobs. The next three years after, the blonde witnessed an increasing number of people living out on the streets and roaming about begging for food—much like he did. It became almost natural for anyone to beg…

Recently, however, there seemed to be fewer and fewer people found roaming or sleeping in the streets of the Middle and High Class districts. It had actually become an _offence_ to sleep on someone else's property. It was punishable by death depending on how 'extreme' the case was. Being found sleeping on a newly paved sidewalk, for instance, could wind a person in a work camp or in prison even, depending on who caught you.

The disciplinary committee was the main force in charge of all punishments. It was they, along with a few members from the Families, who had put Sora to death.

If Roxas could, he would have _all_ of their heads served to him on a golden platter! He wouldn't even feel one hint of remorse. _Bastards, _he scowled as he skirted around a tipped over garbage can.

His stomach growled loudly as his nostrils whiffed the familiar scent of rotten apple pie with cinnamon. Roxas actually had to bite his tongue to ignore the hunger the quenched him. He had grown very thin; if he were to remove his shirt one would probably be able to play xylophone on his bony ribs. He was just _that_ unhealthy looking now.

His fatigue was what made him collapse on that sidewalk and fall sleep. He was extremely thankful Cid was the one who had found him, and not someone else. The blonde had made a terrible decision in lying there out in the open where people could see him. He might have gotten reported, or worse—_de_ported! More and more people were seemingly 'disappearing' from existence. No one ever questioned why…but all of them seemed to notice when there was one fewer family in the area…

Roxas shook his head trying his best to shake off all the negative thoughts. He was still here, right? That's all that seemed to matter. _As long as I manage to live through this damnated world, I'll manage;_ he told himself as he trotted off the cemented sidewalk and down a half-hidden dirt road whose old sign read: 'To Traverse Sector'.

The poor sign looked as through it would collapse. It appeared to shudder violently as the blonde quickly walk passed it and down the hillside road maneuvering through the variety of underbrush that seemed to have grown on the once clear path.

The blonde knew this path well. He always strolled down (or up) it at least once everyday. For one thing, poor teens (like himself) claimed the Traverse Sector of the Slums, and secondly, it had the safest waterhole in all the Slums (not that the adults knew that). Most kids liked keeping this specific waterhole to themselves…especially since it was the only water that wasn't contaminated by aristocratic junk that somehow managed to pollute only the Slums part of the Horizon's Rebirth.

Best spot to take a bath, do your laundry, and drink from. The water was, of course, separated into three sections to do those things. Roxas, himself, along with Pence, a friend, had constructed the actual model for these sections. It was actually a very advanced water system, which managed to recycle the water they used into clean water by using the stream water that came in and out.

Stupidity is probably the last thing someone would describe Roxas as. He was too bright for his own good! A mastermind, a genius! Call him what you will. The blonde would never believe it. He was also too humble for his own good…but despite that, he always managed to use what he had to his great advantage. His mind, for instance, was always put to good use.

Nearing the end of the path, the boy caught the distinct scent of pure, clean water along with a bustle of many other voices. There was a particular voice that seemed to stand out of all of the others though…

A particular voice that began screaming out at him the moment Roxas came into sight of the group of teens huddled about the open stand. Tifa's famous food stand. The best food stand in the entire area.

"Roxas! _Roxas!_" the boy called him over, "Hurry up! Your gonna miss it!"

Hayner was the boy's name, and he happened to be one of Roxas's close friends among their group. Both having about the same color of blonde hair, they sometimes managed to pull off being brothers to those who were gullible enough to believe it.

"Miss what…?"

Roxas found his spot among the relatively large number of people crowded around the small electronic device that was propped out on the Stand's counter.

"Since when did Tifa get a TV?" he questioned, mostly to himself, as he pushed passed Hayner to get a better look at the screen.

Hayner frowned at hearing his friend's drone question, "Look, if you don't like it—"

"Never said I didn't. It's just a question."

"_Right_. Well, it's not the television I called you over for," he continued, tapping his hand against Roxas's shoulder, "Have a look who's on it."

Confused, Roxas glanced back at the static-like screen trying to glimpse who it was that was speaking. From where he stood, he managed to make out a few words that the device was transmitting. Sounded a bit like a speech. _Did something happen?_

With a curt 'excuse me' to several people standing in his way, he finally found the front of the crowd after a bit of pushing and shoving that is. It took him a moment to regain himself after swimming through the sea of people before he could get a good enough look at the screen to recognize who it was.

The moment he caught sight of golden eyes that seemed to glint at him, Roxas knew who it was. His mouth fell open, eyes wide. Something that had not been there seconds before, burned deep within the boy. _Hate. Anger. Revenge…_

_This is…!_

"_XEMNAS!_"

Everyone within the blonde's vicinity jumped back away from him and the screen in complete shock. All the curious bantering came to a stop, and all eyes were on the fifteen year old who had suddenly lost his mind.

"Why the _hell_ are you still alive?" he scowled, loudly. He actually intended to say that to himself. It were as though he had completely forgotten about his surroundings. Sapphire eyes glued to the screen, his teeth began to grind.

Roxas wasn't one to shout. He was virtually a quiet boy…so it was only obvious how surprised everyone was. Hayner, too, also seemed rather taken aback by the sudden outburst. His hazel eyes blinking nonstop, and his mouth agape as his stared at the back of Roxas's head in disbelief.

Sure, he had been aware that Roxas had a particular distaste for the Head of the Spades Family—Lord Xemnas—for as long as he had known him, but he had never thought his friend hated the guy _that_ much. After all, the way Hayner saw it, Roxas's distaste for Xemnas as almost a complete obsession. His blonde friend always wanted to know what that man was up to. The boy was obsessed with the fact that Xemnas was still alive. Hayner had had to put up with countless numbers of rants that dealt with ways to kill the Spades…ways to destroy the Families in general.

Truthfully speaking, he never took these rants as being serious. Maybe a sort of joke, perhaps? There were some times Roxas would try make it funny just to get him involved…

But…now, Hayner began to doubt whether or not showing this to Roxas was such a hot idea.

Anger boiled deep within Roxas the more he watched the gray-haired, golden-eyed man move across the pixilated screen. The boy hadn't seen hide or tail of Xemnas since…_since_…!

"C'mon Rox, uhm…up for a drink or two?"

Roxas shot at angered look at Hayner without meaning to. Hayner, in turn, jumped back the moment he felt the horribly intense glare fall upon him. Strange shudders seemed to flood throughout every fiber of his being.

"R-Roxas?"

Roxas shook his head the moment he realized he had accidentally let his emotions get the best of him, "Er…" he glanced around at the number of faces staring blankly at him as though fearful for their lives. His own face turn the color of crimson, "I-I didn't mean…Uh…E-Excuse me."

At this, the blonde felt as though he had shrunk to the size of an ant as he moved out of the crowd in hopes of claiming some fresh air to cool his heated nerves. The spectators willingly allowed Roxas to walk passed them.

They look between each other then turned their attention back toward the TV, trying to get the sight of an overly angered Roxas out of their head. At least one thing was certain to all of them: They would never, _ever_ get on that boy's bad side…

A little away from Tifa's Food Stand and out of sight from all those people, Roxas finally sank on top of a patch of soft moss that had conveniently grown on the top of a rather large boulder that overlooked the waterhole(s). He had eagerly climbed up it; it _was_ his favorite spot after all. The view was beautiful in more ways than one. Just staring at the warm water made the boy long to jump in and give himself a good scrub—something he _really_ needed.

After a good five minutes to himself, Roxas felt much more relaxed about the entire outburst incident. It was a good thing too, for both Hayner and Pence came walking around toward him. Pence had his fingers clasped around the other's left wrist as they walked.

The boy seemingly had to drag the nervous-looking-Hayner to go console their buddy.

"You gonna hog the usual spot all to yourself?" asked Pence, teasingly, looking upward at the blonde, "Mind if we intrude?"

Roxas shook his head, scooting over a bit to leave room for his two friends to lie around next to him.

With nothing better to do, he watched Pence's porcupine-like brown hair pop up from over the top of the boulder as he climbed the blasted piece of rock.

Despite Pence being the first one to start climbing, it was actually Hayner who got to the top first. The guy was pretty athletic even with being a little more on the scrawny side than Roxas. The second blonde rejoined the first on the carpet of moss barking off remarks back at the brunette who was still struggling to get up. Good thing the three of them were all good friends. The remarks were pretty harsh. Roxas actually had to (jokingly) punch Hayner in the shoulder to send the message that enough was enough ("Would like it if I called _you_ scrawny?" retorted Roxas in a low tone.)

It took several minutes before Pence finally crawled toward them. He looked pretty exhausted. The boy collapsed onto his stomach with his cheek pressing against the surface of the mossy rock. Exercising just wasn't in his vocabulary, and neither Roxas nor Hayner were willing enough to sit down and lecture him about it. They'd tried that once before…the boy just wouldn't sit still for five minutes. It was virtually impossible to get anything across Pence if he found the topic uninteresting.

Roxas laid on his back, careful not to raise his arms in anyway—he was well aware with how badly he smelled—staring out at the tops of the trees that seemed to reach out toward the sky. Most of the Traverse Sector was located in the forest just on the outskirts of the city.

The number of trees and the fact that the location was so far away from the main streams of city-life was the reason why very few people visited it. Peasants and a few working class teenagers seemed to be the only ones that hung around this area. It was almost considered a sanctuary by everyone who found it home.

Roxas was one of them. He found this to be _his_ haven. He even made his own house (more of a shack) here, right along side Hayner's. Pence was a little higher in ranks, class wise, than his two friends (for one thing, he still had parents who could work), so he didn't have his own little house/shack standing along side his friends'.

If given the choice, the brunette would have liked to build his own shack to add to the three that were already built side-by-side a little ways away from where they were now. He would have liked to join his three friends. None of them seemed to blame him for not staying, though…but the guy felt bad about not sticking around 24/7.

Just to be with Hayner, Roxas, and Olette… Pence would have been more than happy to become an orphan too. They, sometimes, had to convince Pence not to run away from his family. He was a lucky seed. They'd feel awful if their friend left just for their sake. Running away from the life that they wanted…At least it was a life a little bit better than the ones they were leading out in the open.

Roxas blinked, realizing that they were missing the fourth member of their group. The blonde had thought something was wrong with this picture the moment he spied his friends down below. There were only three guys here. There was _supposed_ to be three guys and a girl. Not just three guys. It felt odd. It felt almost incomplete.

"Where's Olette?" He asked sitting up again just to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

Pence looked up. "Bathroom," he answered, voice somewhat dreamy-like.

"Yeah…Diarrhea, I think…She's ate something funny earlier," Added Hayner with equal dream-like quality.

Roxas furrowed his brow, sapphire eyes eyeing his friends warily. There was something about this weird dream-like state that was somehow beginning to have an effect on him too the more he stared at them; "…Did you two eat something funny too?" Cautiously, he waved his hand in front of both of their faces in hopes of waking them from their dazed state. No avail. "Ok_aa_y…what did I miss this morning? What'd you freaks do to Olette?"

His two friends quickly snapped from their dreamy-state with a strange blush spreading across both their faces. This reaction caused a quizzical brow to cock upward on Roxas's part. Certainly he had missed something _good_ for both Hayner _and_ Pence to be embarrassed.

Hayner…maybe not so much. But Pence? –_In the world did I miss now?_

"O-Olette's fine with it." Said one.

"Y-Yeah…it's not like we forced her or anything." Said the other.

Roxas nodded, somewhat amused. "Is that so…?"

"Roxas…"sputtered Pence, voice suddenly lowering to a whisper, "…We _did_ her."

Roxas blinked. "You _what?_"

"Threesome."

"…T-Threesome?"

"Banged her up, in clearer terms," muttered Hayner, trying to suppress his grin and self-satisfaction.

Roxas wasn't nearly as surprised as he thought he would be at hearing this. He was more surprised with the fact that he wasn't surprised more than anything else. The blonde merely sat there, eyes shifting from one friend to the other, curiously observing them. He was also trying to formulate how this…interaction…suddenly came about between them. How in the world had he not noticed any hint of 'goggily-eyes' between one another…or something? How was he left out of the picture? Why didn't anyone tell him about this?

"Since when?"

"Just this morning." Confirmed the both of them, heads bobbing like one of those bobble heads you place in your car.

"_Both _of you?"

"Yeah." The two said in unison, again, heads still bobbing.

Eyebrows curved up, in a slight bit of worry. "Olette was alright with this?" asked Roxas, wondering what the heck that girl was trying to prove. "She just doesn't seem like the type—"

"—Said she didn't like choosing—"

"—Said we could share her—"

Roxas nodded slowly along with their ever-bobbing heads, still not quite understanding exactly what the hell Olette was trying to do. _Share her…?_ Roxas thought with a prominent frown on his face, _that doesn't sound like the Olette _I_ know._ Actually, the Olette he knew was really sweet, nice, fun to be with, and not to mention _very_ punctual about small things and doing right. _Sounds more like a whore…or a slut…_ his mind told him.

The blonde coughed viciously as he tried shaking the thought of that from his head. He really didn't want to get the nice, saintly Olette replaced by a picture of the girl strip teasing in his head. It just didn't seem to fit. He would prefer to look at the girl the way he always looked at her. The nice little girl she's _supposed _to be.

Well, whatever she was, Roxas figured he wouldn't let that get in the way of their friendship. _As long…as Olette doesn't try to seduce me…_

"Rox…remember how we used to always fantasize how it would be like to do a girl?"

Roxas didn't deny it. He nodded, mutely. Trying to understand what Hayner was trying say.

"We could share Olette with you, too, you know," he finished, this time, his hazel eyes were serious. They stared intently into his friend's blue eyes.

"_W-What?_" gaped the blonde, eyes growing as round as plates. _Where are you morals?_ Roxas couldn't help, but stare in horror at his friends. _Share her…with me? Olette's not some—some—_ "Olette's _not_ a fish market, guys."

Pence sat indian-style, lowering his head, feeling a bit regretful about what he did. Hayner, too, looked away from Roxas.

Talking about Olette like that, no matter if she agreed with it or not…was definitely not how you're supposed to talk about your friends.

"…Olette's—you know—the only good-looking girl around here," murmured Hayner, eyes still downcast.

"What about Tifa?" Roxas questioned, a wry smirk forming on his features again. He was trying to lift the mood, attempting to get the topic away from Olette. "You two went all googily-eyes whenever she walked by!"

Hayner chuckled, flashing his eyes at Roxas, "She's _waay_ outta my league." He then crossed his arms, looking at the opposite blonde up and down, "You _sure_ you don't wanna try her, though?" He said this jokingly, and Roxas didn't take it personally this time.

A sheepish smile seemed to press up against the blonde's lips, "Nah…Think I'll pass—"

"—What the heck are you talking about, Hayner?" interrupted Pence, grinning widely between the two of them. The brunette had been trying _so_ hard to get back into the conversation, and this time around…he had a good comeback in mind. One that was just too good to pass up.

Both Hayner and Roxas glanced over at their almost forgotten buddy sitting just beside them.

"Huh?" Both blondes seemed to twist their faces, looking rather confused.

"Roxas doesn't go for girls," he said simply. At this, he glanced all-knowingly at blonde number 1, "_Right_?"

Hayner glanced over at blonde number 1 as well, looking rather stunned.

Roxas, on the other hand, looked like a deer staring at an oncoming car. The wind had been completely punched out of him. _W-What that heck?_ Truthfully, he had _no_ idea what Pence was talking about. He digged chicks. There were a few pretty hot girls out there…

"That's why you always do googily eyes at Hayner," continued the brunette, grin never faltering. He seemed pretty intent that what he was saying was true…even though Roxas, himself, didn't get what he was trying to say. "Don't give me that look Roxas! Olette actually agrees with me on this too!"

"W-What the hell?"

Hayner crossed his arms, "_Oh_…so that's why you were so enthusiastic that one time we did it."

Roxas shot the most horrified stare at the other blonde, "W-What are you talking about?"

"_Whaat?_ You guys did it already?" gasped Pence, hand quickly shooting to his mouth, "When was this?"

"NEVER!" shouted Roxas. "Hayner's making it up!"

Blonde number 2 placed a hand on Roxas's shoulder, shaking his head. "No. I'm not." He said firmly, biting his lip nervously. "You were—we were drunk, remember?"

Roxas stopped. He thought—actually he didn't really want to think about it, but did anyway—for a while, trying to remember what the heck Hayner wanted him to remember. His mind seemed to sift through all of his memories like a little box full of pictures. It tossed one picture after another until it came upon one that…Roxas didn't quite remember being there.

Reluctantly, he tried focusing on that picture…the more he thought…the clearer the image became. Until it was complete…

"_Shit_. I remember now…" murmured the blonde, face turning beet red. "I-I-I…"

"Then my hypothesis is right!" squealed Pence, excitedly, "Wait till I tell Olette—!"

"—I am _not_ gay!"

"I don't know about that, Rox," said Hayner, thoughtfully, his fingers rubbing against his chin, "I mean…you never _were_ a Tifa-fan. Nor do you even _want_ to do Olette…and plus, you _were_ pretty willing that one night…"

Roxas looked between Hayner and Pence, complete outnumbered. "T-This isn't fair," he whined, gritting his teeth.

"Just admit it," laughed blonde number two, patting Roxas on the back then proceeding to rub at his friend's shoulder, teasingly—just to make fun. "You _know_ I'm hot-stuff. Only an idiot could resist me." At the last remark his eyes befell on the brunette. He smirked. Pence got angry.

Roxas was far too shaken to notice that his two friends were almost about ready to duke it out. Sapphire orbs stared, dazed-like out at the waterhole in the distance…his only thoughts being: _I'm not gay…I'm not…I'm not gay…it's not possible…I can't be…_

He shuddered, trying to ignore the fact that Hayner's hand was still rubbing his shoulder and it felt somewhat comforting. Scratch that. More that _just_ comforting. _Woah. Woah… did I just think—Nah. Just my imagination._

Truth was. Roxas was in the state of complete confusion. So deep into it that he wasn't even sure if he was straight or not anymore. For all he knew, this could all be complete denial…

At the moment, though, the blonde completely shot those ideas with thirteen different hand pistols. If denial were the case (which is was), then Roxas figured he'd just stay in denial. That way, he'd be safe…_right?_

Oh, how he _hoped_ that was right.

* * *

That was 19 pages long on Microsoft Word oo;...But anyways, that's Roxas's introduction. The little bit with HaynerxRoxas and Olettexeveryone else...well, sorta hit me as being appropriete for the story. Review...? 

Next chapter: Roxas actually takes a bath and goes to meet this "Leon" guy (Ha! Like you guys don't know who he is)! Axel is forced to go to his own party! Yay! AxelxLarxene? Can Axel comeout of this without getting his throat slit or juice poisoned? Find out soon...!


	3. Chapter 2

Summary: Axel's an ignorant aristocratic boy from one of the Four Families of Horizon's End (Rebirth, it was later renamed), and Roxas is a poor kid out on the streets...but was he always peasant?And why does he havesuch a strange grudge against the Families?Alternate Universe: AnAkuRoku fic. Based in a Victorian Era twisted with a modern-day sort of setting.

Author's Note: Yay! Chapter 2! Sorry for the delay! The sitewasn't allowing me to submit the second chapter, for some reason...

Over all, I'm pretty content with how this went about. Sorry, the chapters _are_ pretty long and boring... This one was a total of 22 pages, 11 font, and1.5 spaced on Microsoft Word. Please don't let the number intimidate you though! Thanks for all the reviews thus far, I'm glad it's entertaining some of you... Thisfic is meant to be written for my pleasure, but your reviews are what keep me writing this fic! I'd probably havequit my now, haha!

Anyways, please bare with me. Axel and Roxas have not met, and will not physicallymeet until a little later onin the story. Right now I'm thinking around chapter 4, 5, or 6. In this chapter you'll see a bit of an indirect meeting between the two, but...that's about it. There's reason for it. This is still an AkuRoku fic, theyjust they need some preparing before they meet. Until then, there will be a lot of side pairings or nonexistent pairings that aren't really together...but are? That examplewill be presentin the next chapter, though. Anyhow, R+R please xD...

Warning: Language...and Hayner's Tifa fantasizing... other than that, there's not much. Oh, and I also attempted to be funny. Or at least sarcastically funny. I can't write humor for crap!

* * *

Chapter 2: On the Left Side of the City

_This. Isn't. Happening._

Axel (ironically enough) was actually on his way to the Clover's ceremonial, outdoors ballroom, walking at a rather fast beat pace with Demyx striding nervously behind to him. They were on their way to the party. _His_ betrothal party. Truthfully speaking, neither of them happened to be properly dressed to go to any sort of party, much less a ceremonial one. The 'groom' wore no tuxedo. His shoes were _far_ from shined, and not to mention, his unkempt spiked-like red hair had not even been combed since the night before. Stray strands of hair seemed to stick out mercilessly from all sorts of random, odd angles. At times those long strands found themselves in his unwilling companion's mouth, nose, and eyes.

Axel wore, what appeared to be, his everyday house clothes. Obvious stains from breakfast, dinner, and even grass stains seemed to liter the teen's blouse and no-longer-pressed khaki pants. Demyx looked like even more of a noble boy than even the heir of Diamonds (then again, the guy always did take _extra_ care of his appearance at every second of everyday)! Not only did the servant boy _look_ like the noble, but also the circumstances that they were walking in…well, let's just say Axel looked pretty ridiculous.

The redhead cursed himself for being stupid enough to fall for one of the easiest tricks in the book. He had literally played right into Xigbar's hands. How he could have been so dumb, so unaware of his surroundings, he would never understand. He had only fallen asleep in his room for a brief twenty minutes, and _this_ was his punishment for leaving himself so vulnerable to sneak attack! How that old geezer had been able to silently slip the trap on him so swiftly that he didn't even wake up…Axel could only speculate.

"…I feel like a dog," he growled in a low voice, emerald eyes flashing at Demyx behind him. "_You_ were probably in on this too, weren't you? Traitor…"

Demyx jumped back a few feet trying to keep some distance between himself and his master only to find that Axel was yanked backward along with Demyx instead of staying away. The redhead gagged the moment he stumbled backwards, hands clawing on the device—the metal collar—that was clamped around his slim neck.

The collar's chain was actually handcuffed to Demyx's wrist. Every sudden jerk the blonde mohawk seemed to make…Axel would find himself choking.

"S-Sorry, Axe—Sir!" he squeaked, lightly waving his handcuffed wrist, "I…sorta forgot about this thingy-majig."

Regaining himself was tougher than Axel thought, but the moment he did, he glowered angrily at Demyx—face red, twisted in hate and murder.

Demyx squeaked again at seeing this. "R-Really, it wasn't me!" the guy raised his hands trying to prove his point. A faltering grin somehow seemed to reach his lips, as he stared nervously at the about-to-prance redhead. "P-plus, you don't wanna get shocked again do you…?"

To wear this collar was _humiliating_ to no end. It wasn't just _any_ sort of collar either. It was one of those shock collars where if you attempt to remove it or do something provocative, a 'safe' electric surge would be sent through your body. Axel had actually been shocked a total number of thirteen times since he woke up. His right eye had began to twitch every now and again because of the voltage. The teen's nerves were going to be totally screwed up if this kept up.

Axel eyed Demyx, furrowing his brows thoughtfully.

"Is that a _threat_?"

Demyx gulped the moment he saw the other sneering back at him, cracking his knuckles as he bared his pearly whites.

"N-n-n-n-nooo!" he cried, waving his arms again, "I was just saying…err…reminding you! I'm telling you, the only way to get it off is by asking Xig—"

"—'My Lord'—"

"—Whatever! You'll have to ask him for that fucking key. Dammit, you think I _like_ being handcuffed to you?"

Axel seemed to grin at that question, "You know, many would _die_ to be in your spot right now."

The mohawked servant could only roll his eyes, "Sure thing. Whatever ya say."

He followed from a relatively safe distance from his master (one that wouldn't result in choking the redhead) who happened to be stomped in the direction of theClover mansion.

Demyx had to admit he was rather intrigued at how far Xigbar would go to have his little bit of fun. To get everything his way. Truthfully, he was quite glad the skunk-haired fool wasn't _his_ father. Talk about psychotic abuse. It was bad enough being the guy's servant…what more if he was his son? He shuddered at the thought of that, staring at the back of Axel's head sympathetically. This was probably the first time in this sitarist's history that he _ever_ felt pity toward the teen. Then again, he had good reason to be sympathetic.

It was a good thing the sun was starting to go down. The far west part of the city looked a bit on the dark side from what the two of them could see. The sun's last rays also seemed to desperately streak across the sky in its attempt to free the dark sky. It was beautiful, and had Axel not been in such ugly circumstances, he would have stayed to watch the light fall into complete obliteration. Aside from the fact that the sunset a beautiful thing to watch, the darkened sky also meant fewer people on the open streets! And the fewer the people, meant fewer disgusted looks from on goers passing by…

Axel was sure he looked like some ex-convict or something by the way his neck was chained to Demyx. _Woah, _the redhead blinked. It seemed to strike him quite hard the moment he thought it over again. He had begun to think about what he looked like from another person's perspective. _If I were the one passing by, I'd think I was some fag who gets fucked for a living!_ At thinking this, the corners of his mouth seemed to flick up in a slight grin. He stole a glance back at the sitarist, _Demyx being my fifty-ninth costumer of the week._

Demyx caught sight of Axel's hidden eye. "What?"

"Nothin'." Replied the redhead, laughing inwardly as he crossed the street.

_Just two more blocks to go._ Both Axel and Demyx seemed to count the steps they took and the time in which they would be able to break away from this annoying Xigbar-made trap.

That cursed man was definitely out to make Axel's life totally miserable. Trying to set _him_ up with a witch! A lightning obsessed witch at that. The redhead knew, for a fact, that Larxene could control the weather (she had claimed to), and she even _proved_ it when lightning struck not far from where he had been standing as he made fun of her from the distance!

She actually _smirked_ at the fact that she nearly scared him to death. The nerve the girl had to smirk in the way she did! It spelled _total _bitch. Axel always knew her to be one.

Ever since that day, the war was _totally_ on. The two of them never got along well in life. It would be insane to set them up together 'til death do us part'. The thought of that, managed to flicker a horror movie within the teen's imaginative imagination. They'd constantly try to murder one another in the same house! He was pretty damn sure Larxene didn't like this set up either. The girl had _never_ liked him. He _did_ light her hair on fire, once, by mistake (which made her hate him even more). It had always been a hate-kill relationship between the two of them. _What's Xigbar trying to prove anyway—?_

"Fuck, Axel, I think we took a wrong turn."

The redhead started, pushing his thoughts aside. He glanced around at his surroundings just to make sure Demyx wasn't crazy (like he usually was).

The street sign to the left of them read "Destiny Lane" in nicely printed white on green text. Despite the cheerful name, the place looked _very_ dark, _very_ suspicious, and relatively unclean. Several trashcans had been up turned, and from what he could see, all sorts of graffiti had littered the walls. It almost looked one of those gang-affiliated places Axel saw on TV.

For once, the mohawk was right—the place looked completely unfamiliar to him. They had been walking right into slums territory without even realizing it! Demyx panicked. Axel had to smack the guy in the head, lightly, to calm him down (he did this in such a way that did not send electric impulses through his being).

The chain that connected them seemed to rattle annoyingly, echoing loudly through the empty street.

Axel grunted, "Do you know the way back?"

"Like hell I know!" shouted Demyx, voice raised. "I was following _you_!"

The redhead didn't make any effort to reply or help console the frantic sitarist. Instead, he merely waved his hand mindlessly, beginning to reroute his steps, trying to figure where he made the slight miscalculation. It was true that it was only on rare occasions, like this, that Axel found himself wandering about the city. Even so, the teen seemed to know his way around almost instinctively. He found it hard to believe that he took a wrong turn. He had never been lost before, and didn't quite know how to feel about the whole situation.

"Just walk back the way we came," he muttered, turning around in hopes of backtracking to where they made this so-called 'wrong turn'. "Shouldn't be too hard—_irk!_"

Instead of walking forward, Axel was once again tugged from behind, and as usual, the metal collar was still pulling tightly against his tired neck. He stumbled backwards, his body colliding with his servant's. The impact knocked the air right out of them both, leaving them both winded and disoriented. They didn't fall, however. Only staggering to keep their footing. The redhead cursed both the collar and Xigbar for being so evil to him this night. He was even about to curse Demyx, but then again, the mohawked guy didn't even have a choice in the matter.

Coughing hysterically due to the rough tug against his adam's apple, Axel didn't notice an extra person—extra creature—standing not too far away from where they were situated.

Flustered, he rubbed at his bruised neck, and then took the time to glower angrily at the man he was tied to. He wondered why, in the world, the sitarist had not obediently followed him like he was _supposed_ to. The wonder, however, rapidly changed to an expression of utter confusion the moment he saw Demyx's horror-stricken face.

Unlike the ignorant redhead, Demyx _had_ seen the extra creature moving about on the corner of the sidewalk: The thing was hunched over with what appeared to be some impenetrably sharp metal fingers. Its head seemed to bounce around in all sort of random direction excitedly looking for something to devour. Only someone impeccably ignorant (like Axel) would not be able to notice the blasted thing scowling over at them like a mad dog. Maybe it _was_ a mad creature. It looked wild enough for the part, and it seemed just about ready to tear the shreds out of the first person to walk passed it. Startling yellow eyes struck out at the two standing not far from it, its unseen mouth foaming from behind its helmet. The emblem that decorated the creature's helmet seemed to glow under the dim light of the dying sun. An emblem that looked all but too familiar to the sitarist.

A Heartless.

Demyx had never seen a live one before in his entire life, but knew what one looked like when he saw one. After all, being a servant in the Diamond household, one couldn't possible miss seeing Xigbar's massive collection of headless heartless hanging, proudly, from plaques on the walls all over that stupid mansion. The mohawk of a guy had always thought the thought of having creatures placed on your wall was repulsive, but at the moment, the guy would have preferred to be standing in front of the Wall of Game than before a live one that looked about ready to kill. All the rumors about these vile, yet tamable, creatures seemed to flood into the back of his mind. Frightening tales, they were…they made him want to crawl away and hide.

"A-Axeelll…" he sputtered pointing a shaky finger over at what he thought was walking death.

Axel simply glanced over at where Demyx had been pointing at, then looked back at the guy both annoyed and rather frustrated. "What?" he asked, looking between the servant and the heartless thing.

"_That!_" Demyx stammered, pointedly, all fear draining from him.

Axel looked again, emerald eyes staring into those of the rabid heartless's.

"Yeah? What about it?"

The sitarist made one last effort, "A heartless! It's scowling at us!"

"So?"

"Aren't we supposed to run away screaming for mercy…or something?"

Axel shrugged, patting a heavy hand on his companion's shoulder. His deep emerald eyes seem to say, _only you would do that, my friend, only you._ What little this elder boy seemed to know about life in general. In the redhead's opinion, he was even more mature than Demyx was…at least, in most aspects. Had the sitarist forgotten who _he_ was? What Family he had come from? What sort of _father_ he had? Xigbar was far worse than any heartless that prowled the streets at night. The shock collar and the Wall of Game, he noted, was proof of that.

"You wanna know how you deal with heartless?" asked Axel, thoughtfully, eying the creature with an expression full of purpose.

Seeing the younger teen's expression, Demyx really didn't know whether to say yes or no. The better answer seemed to be split fifty-fifty. He was curious to see what the redhead would do, but at the same time, being handcuffed to his master meant he would have to tag along. If Axel were to become knocked unconscious, the heartless thing would go for _his_ entrails next. The sitarist would have little chance of escape with a dead carcass chained to his wrist...

…But then again (Demyx was thinking rather hard now), there was little chance the 'Axe of Doom' would get knocked unconscious to begin with. Axel was better known for his fierce battle nature more than anything else the redhead seemed capable of doing. Him and his chakrams of doom—they made one heck of a team. There was no one around his age that was at his level. He had been the Struggle Tournament's grand champion for the past three years straight, beating even the strongest adults in the city! People even called him a prodigy struggler! Others even named him a possible successor to Cloud—the Head of the Hearts had once been titled the prodigy struggler of his time.

Axel was just _that_ good. He had a _lot_ of great potential locked up deep inside of him., that was, if you could somehow sort out his eerie sense of humor.

"…Well?"

Demyx knocked himself back into reality, counting the odds between saying yes and saying no. He was quick to realize that 'yes' seemed to outweigh 'no', but couldn't help but hesitate to respond. After a good minute or so, the blonde finally gave in, "Ah…what the heck."

Axel's face seemed to lighten up at this, a grin finding it way across his lips again. "Alright, then. Let's get down to business, shall we?" At this, the redhead reached up for the chain that was attached to his collar at the back of his neck and tugged at it to prevent any more choking attacks as he stalked toward the heartless.

Without much of a choice, Demyx was dragged along behind the redhead, his tired wrist being pulled limply in front of his face as he walked.

Alarmed at the fact that its prey was actually coming _towards_ it instead of _away_ from it, the heartless creature began to cower. Its head tilted upward. Its yellow, glowing eyes staring up into those of emerald green. Axel had come so close to the creature that he could quite literally reach out and pat the thing on the head without needing to bend down. The redhead's expression appeared completely serious, all his strength seemingly converting energy into his piercing eyes. The gaze mesmerized the Heartless. It felt completely outclassed in both strength and height compared to the man that towered over him.

All hysteria and madness was knocked right out of the thing. It looked as though it had even forgotten where it was as it hobbled a few steps backwards.

Demyx was impressed. So, heartless really _were_ tamable. The servant seemed to laugh at this.

Convinced that the creature was harmless now, the servant moved out from behind Axel and stood beside his master, looking rather proud. On the inside, the mohawked servant was making fun of this pitiful creature—thinking that all creatures bow down to the power of nobility…to the power of humans! Grinning to himself, he crossed his arms, glancing over at Axel in a know-it-all sort of fashion.

"I _knew_ they were harmless!" he exclaimed with a haughty laugh, "I don't know what _you_ were so afraid of—!"

Demyx's cries laughter suddenly turned into cries of ultimate agony the moment he felt incredibly sharp teeth clamp tightly around his free wrist (the one that was free of the chain). The 'harmless' creature had bit him, teeth sinking deeply into the sitarist's flesh.

Another wave of panic surged through the blonde mohawk as he flailed his arm hoping the stupid thing would release him. It didn't, and the servant began to feel his own blood trickling down his, once, untainted smooth skin. Tears began forming along the side of his eyes the more he began to flick his wrist. It was painful.

"AHHH! _Gerroff me_!"

Axel burst out laughing, hand still clamped tightly around the chain behind his neck, knowing quite well that releasing it could mean being choked to death. He hadn't seen anyone get bit by a heartless before, and the sight of it was more than hilarious. Sure, his servant was bleeding…and he might bleed to death or even get rabies…but the picture was just too good to break. The redhead merely stood there watching.

Demyx flashed his own terror gaze at Axel, "_Do_ something, you bastard!"

"Like what?" Axel was being totally serious about this question. He had heard getting a heartless off a person, once they had gotten their death bite on him or her, was practically impossible—even when the beast was beaten to death.

"_Something_!"

The redhead sighed. He didn't really know what to do. Had the two of them not been attached like this, Axel would have left Demyx here to rot long ago. He yawned. _There, that was something;_ he thought absentmindedly as he stared at his servant attempting to kick the creature off, bashing its head with the heel of his foot.

"At this rate we'll never get to the party…" murmured the redhead, propping himself on the cement sidewalk feeling rather tuckered out. He stomach growled. "Hang in there, Dem, I'm sure it'll let go eventually."

"…Help me…!" whined the sitarist; he had started bashing the monster into the cement. "K-Kill it or something!"

"That would be animal abuse," muttered Axel, counting the number of times the creatures was bashed into the floor. _Thirty-six…Thirty-seven…Thirty-eight…_

"Animal abuse? I aught to bash this thing into _your_ face—_then _you can tell me what the fuck animal abuse is—!"

Demyx was dead determined to do it too. Axel wouldn't be able to get away either. Being stuck together did have its disadvantages, especially since the redhead got electrified whenever he attempted to punch someone or something. The guy would have no way to defend himself, and no place to run.

Emerald eyes stared horrified at his servant, muttering words to himself, "He wouldn't dare…" Oh, but the sitarist really _would_ dare. Axel's only hope relied in whether or not the guy had bad aim…

Demyx raised the blasted creature over his head. He was about to hit the thing against his master's head when all of a sudden—

"What are you doing to Wantzy?"

An unfamiliar, high-pitched voice echoed through Destiny Lane, catching the attentions of both Demyx and Axel. The two glanced around for the source of the voice wondering whether or not the voice had been intended for them or for some other group near by. They soon found out, however, that it really _was_ intended for them, for the source of the voice didn't make her presence unknown to them.

Completely confident, not even caring if the two before her were a class above hers, the girl—the supposed owner of the mysterious voice—stomped toward the two of them, green eyes narrowed squarely at the mohawked servant. She looked at least three or even four years younger than Axel was, but the expression pressed against her face reminded the two of an old hag who had come to punish them for doing something they really didn't intend to do. Her curled brown locks appeared to droop loosely around her shoulders, bouncing upward whenever she walked.

Demyx noted, mentally, that she was from one of the lower classes just by noticing the way she carried herself—noble women were never allowed to strut in the way that she did. It just wasn't becoming of a lady. Even her relatively tattered orange tank top and dirtied gray (used to be…yellow?) pants spelled 'peasant'.

Had she stomped and yelled at some other aristocratic or other high-class person, she would have—because of her class—been slapped across the face then kicked till her entire body was pressed face down against the cement. Lucky for her, she ran into two losers who didn't seem to have the heart in them to attack a girl younger looking than they were. Demyx had many soft spots, and despite Axel being somewhat ruthless at times, he also had pity on girls and lower classmen. Never, in all his life, did he think he was better than any below him. Sure, the redhead was arrogant and narcissistic about being good at everything, but…he didn't like the idea of putting people below him just because economic class. It wasn't the 'honorable' way to go about doing things.

"Wantzy?" repeated Axel, eying the girl with interest. She was rather pretty looking despite her dirt-covered attire.

The girl pointed at the heartless clamped tightly around Demyx's wrist. "Wantzy." She confirmed, "Release him."

_Woah, talk about bossy…_ Axel couldn't help but grin at her. The teen stood up from where he sat and stretched his arms lazily. At least they found the owner of the stupid thing. They had a better chance of getting the heartless off Demyx if she knew this heartless well—it would be less painful this way.

"You heard lady," began Axel, tapping the blonde mohawk with the back of his hand, "Release him."

Demyx glowered up at the redhead, feeling violated that his hair had been touched, "I would if this…this…this _thing_ would release _me_!" At this, he pleaded to the girl, "Tell this thing to release _me_ first!"

"That 'thing' has a name, you know," scoffed his master. The girl seemed to look up at this aristocratic teen, in wonder—their eyes met each others for a brief moment before Axel finished: "Wantzy."

The girl felt her face turn slightly pink at seeing that Axel was staring back at her in such a way. She quickly looked away, diverting her attention back to the heartless.

Demyx was already throwing a tantrum: "Screw you, Axel! Just get him off me!"

The girl blinked, looking closely at the wrist 'Wantzy' happened to be viciously hanging by his teeth from. She bent down a bit to get a closer look at the wound the 'little' heartless had caused on the servant's flesh.

Axel in turn watched _her_ very closely. It wasn't like he was attracted to her or anything, there just seemed to be something familiar about her. Oddly enough, the familiarity was nothing physical. He was sure he had never seen her before. However, there was something in her being…in her presence that seemed warped. _Touched_ by something or someone; someone that perhaps Axel knew or had known. It was as though he knew the girl indirectly somehow. There was a particular 'scent' about her that smelled of something the redhead had smelled before. It was on the tip of his tongue…so close he felt like could quite literally reach out and touch it.

_Where have I felt this before…?_

"Ouch…" the girl murmured, interrupting Axel's thought process. She winced as she glimpsed a bit of, what she believed to be, Demyx's bone in clear view. "You must have moved around a lot. It looks…pretty deep…"

Pretty deep was an understatement, and Axel knew it. He was afraid the guy would pass out if he told him though, so the redhead kept his mouth shut.

"Is he a pet of yours?" asked Axel, trying to start conversation with this rather nice, yet familiar girl.

The girl merely shook her head, careful not to look the redhead in the eye again, "Not mine, specifically, he belongs to all the kids around here."

Axel nodded, understandingly, watching as the girl patted the top of Wantzy's odd shaped helmet. The moment her hand touched the sensitive spot on the helmet, it quickly released Demyx from between his teeth and then playfully jumped on the girl, like a dog would its master. The girl giggled and sweetly began stroking the creature's head affectionately. It was cute to watch, really. Axel felt somewhat awkward that he was, once again, letting his emotions get to him. A slight smile was invited on his lips, mind focused on the girl and her pet.

He must have focused too much, though, cause he didn't even hear Demyx beside him, cussing at him and screaming his name.

"Axel! Axel! _Axel!_" he called, tugging lightly at the chain that connected them.

The redhead broke from his inner fantasy, finding himself face-to-face with the mohawked blonde, "Huh…?"

"I'm bleeding here…you could at least _pretend_ to act like you care."

Axel still appeared dazed, body swaying ever so slightly as he tried to focus on the person standing in front of his face. "Right…pretend…"

"Holy shit!" Demyx was staring down at his wound now; he had been trying to avoid looking at it until then, "…is that my _bone_…?"

Mouth still gapping, his eyes appeared completely transfixed to the open wound. Just the mere fact that he was able to see through his own flesh straight to his own bone…was enough to horrify him. The next thing he knew, he felt light headed. Whether it was from shock, or from loosing a lot of blood, Demyx was too out of it to really know. It didn't take very long after that that he collapsed, involuntarily dragging Axel down with him.

The agonizing tug on Axel's already bruised neck made him curse loudly. In some rather swift gestures, the redhead managed to catch his passed out companion before they both hit the floor. Frustrated, tired, and relatively annoyed, the redhead took Demyx up in his arms. The guy was pretty light for his height, which was a very good thing for Axel. He was already tired and hungry as it was. Having to carry some extra pounds only made his stomach rumble loudly.

_Such a handful,_ he thought with a frown, stalking off in the direction they had come from…hoping with all his might that he'd be able to find the Spade Mansion before Demyx died on him.

He had already taken a few steps away before he remembered the presence of the young peasant girl who had helped out. How rude of him, he hadn't even thank her for her help! Not even a smile or a goodbye wave… Axel had to admit he felt relatively guilty about it.

Trying his best to ignore the heavy load present in his arms, the redhead turned around. "Hey, I forgot to ask what your name was—" He actually expected to see that girl crouched on the side of the road still clutching the heartless to her breast, like a mother would do her babe… "—miss?"

…There was no sign of her anywhere. Axel found himself staring out at an empty lane.

* * *

In front of Tifa's Food Stand, Roxas found himself seated at a table completely cluttered with dozens upon dozens of delicious delicacies. It felt like the entire world had just been laid out before of him his two famished-buddies. Sapphire eyes were frantic, tracing themselves from one plate to the next, trying to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. There were choices from large ramen bowls of beef, shrimp, and chicken to beefy looking hamburgers sided with the all-important greasy delight—French fries. His mouth salivated profusely as his nose attempted to compensate the number of different smells that seemed to stuff themselves up his nostrils and/or linger about on his skin. 

_Beautiful…_ thought the blonde staring out at the mountains of food they were served. He was seriously beginning to consider having Tifa for a wife. Imagine the kinds of food he'd eat every day! To think that dark haired waitress would choose them—among all the other teens in the neighborhood—to be _her_ personal taste testers! And to even think that all these massive bowls and servings were merely test runs… The thought of it all was mind boggling to even Pence, and Pence happened to be apprenticing under Tifa.

Not only were the amounts of food startling but also the three boys didn't even have to pay a dollar, dime, or even penny for it! They had always been Tifa's favorite customers ever since she opened shop, and even went as far as giving them things on the house on a regular basis. This Food Stand was practically what Hayner, Pence, Roxas, and Olette lived off of for a living, and they were very indebt to it.

"T-This is too much…" gawked Hayner, gulping down the saliva he had been drowning in. "Tifa…I love her _so_ much, man."

Pence nodded in agreement, greedily reaching out for a french fry and stuffing it, sloppily, into his wide mouth. The brunette boy happened to be the first of the three to dig in; both Hayner and Roxas were too perplexed by the beauty laid out before them to even touch anything. They were too afraid their touch would suddenly distort this heavenly image.

"Something the matter?"

Roxas gathered enough strength to tear his gaze away from the food to glance up at Tifa. Hayner's eyes, on the other hand, didn't leave the massive amounts of food. A faint blush crept onto his slightly tanned face. Whether or not he was simply embarrassed because Tifa was hovering near him or because his he was just too hungry to look her way…Roxas couldn't quite decipher.

The dark-haired, beautiful, goddess-like waitress had come by their table to check on things. She held a tray of what appeared to be twenty dirty dishes, all neatly stack, and easily propped up on her open palm. She had already closed shop to the regular customers, but privately reopened it just for the boys' and her new recipe's sakes. Tifa had prepared for them a bunch of new dish ideas, and looked considerably worried upon realizing that neither Hayner nor Roxas had touched either of their eating utensils. Usually, from what she observed, the two of them were even heavier eaters than both Pence and Olette combined!

"Nothing's the matter, ma'am!" replied Pence, as he licked the grease off his fingers, "You've definitely outdone yourself this time, Tifa."

The lady smiled kindly at him. "I'm glad you think so."

"No, really!" he continued, taking a rather large bite out of a fried chicken leg, "Hshayner'z jyuss too—" He swallowed, "—embarrassed to start cause you're watching him, and Roxas's still upset over the fact that _I_ know he's not into chicks—!"

"I am _not_ gay!" Roxas shot invisible knives straight at the brunette's neck the moment the topic was brought up again.

"I never said 'gay'," retorted Pence, grinning widely, "See? He's in denial."

Tifa glanced over at the spike-y haired-blonde, eyebrows tentatively raised.

Roxas frantically shook his head, trying hard to explain himself to her. Despite his efforts to persuade her, she said nothing in reply. Only smiling. Her kind, brown eyes simply looked back at the boy…as though she were thinking of something. One could only wonder and speculate what was going through her head at that moment…

"C'mon Rox, lighten up. It's not _bad _to like dudes..."droned the brunette, "I mean, in _your_ case it's not. Ha! Imagine the look on your father's face if you were part of some high-class aristocratic family! Woo…talk about _major_ disgrace right there."

At the sight of Pence's dorky expression, Tifa giggled lightly.

Hayner, too, laughed out loud in unison.

Roxas, on the other hand, angrily threw french fry after french fry at the two boys sitting across from him. Now _that_ was a total slap across the face. _Oh, if they only knew…_he cursed to himself, trying to think of what Cloud would do to him if (Emphasis the _if_) he were gay. He was feeling a bit more embarrassed about the whole situation, now. He didn't think it was funny. He didn't understand _why_ it was so funny. It wasn't even true…_was it?_

From the corner of his eye, the boy caught a glimpse of the waitress staring at him intently. All her attention seemed to be centered on him. Had it not been for the circumstances, Roxas would have felt flattered that she was looking—_staring_—at him like this, but he was quite sure her expression was giving off the 'what a loser' effect.

His face went crimson, and he naturally felt like sinking into the floor. Sure, the boy didn't mind joking around with friends about stuff like this, but in front of Tifa…? He really didn't want the prettiest lady in all the slums to get any weird ideas about him. If anything, he was more bisexual than gay if given the choice. _I'm straight, dammit! Not gay, not bi—STRAIGHT._

After a few more minutes of simply observing the three, Tifa swiftly left them to eat and converse about guy-things in peace. She headed over to the sink in the back room and disappeared from sight.

"Man…" whispered Hayner in a dreamy-like voice similar to the one he had when they were talking about Olette, "…She's _so_ my type."

Roxas rolled his eyes, reaching over for a bowl of what looked like minced beef soup. "That again?" he grunted, as he set the bowl out in front of him.

Being ever so careful, as though he were about to paint an excruciatingly crucial part of a masterpiece, Roxas took up the spoon in his right hand staring rather intently at his 'piece' (AKA the soup). As though he had finally decided on what to do next, he cautiously slipped the metal utensil into the steamy concoction. He took a breath the moment he lift his spoon; sapphire eyes stared, unblinking, at the bits of ground beef, translucent liquid, green onions, and egg white that hung midway between the bowl and his parted lips.

From an odd perspective, this actually looked something like a really bad soap opera with corny romance music and blinding neon lights rolling in the background—the works. At best, it almost seemed like the boy was trying out for some part in an advertisement commercial, one that was completely low budget. At the moment, however, Roxas really didn't care what it looked like. He didn't care how over exaggerated his movements were or whether Pence or Hayner were paying any attention to him at all. All that seemed to matter was his Minced Beef Soup and himself. All other sounds seemed to dissipate along with his not all there state-of-mind. All he could hear was the hot steam evaporating into the atmosphere. They were alone, soon to be together at last…

After letting it cool for what seemed like a long time, he _finally_ took a sip.

_Ahh…heaven,_ his mind thought, feeling the warm liquid flow through his parched throat and then kindly settle in his empty stomach. The blonde hadn't eaten anything filling since his last dinner two nights ago…the boy had actually missed a total of six full coarse meals. The term 'famished' wasn't even enough to describe how much hunger quenched him.

After taking the first sip and finding the soup to be just plain delectable, Roxas totally screwed the spoon. He tossed the ruddy piece of metal to the side of his plate, licked his lips, and then took the entire bowl to his mouth. Pence even stopped devouring his helpless hamburger to watch as the blonde downed the entire bowl of soup. Hayner was far too busy daydreaming and busy with dissecting his fish to take much interest in whatever the other blonde happened to be doing.

"…I mean, her breasts are totally…_wow,_" murmured Hayner, obviously still stuck in his makeshift fantasy. Every single word he uttered seemed to make his fish shudder in complete disgust. "I mean, how can she walk like they're not even there? Do you think she ever notices them—?"

"Notices what?"

"—Notices how big her boobs—!"

_WHAM!_

Next thing they all knew, Hayner was on the floor writhing in pain, clutching his left hand to his left eye.

Pence's eyes widened in ultimate horror the moment he glanced from Roxas to the person who had silently snuck up on them. Roxas, too, appeared entirely dumbstruck. So dumbstruck, in fact, that he had dropped his bowl allowing what little there was left to spill out on the crowded table. Much to their relief it wasn't Tifa who had socked their loudmouth friend in the face…but that still didn't mean they were out of the red zone.

Hayner groaned feeling more surprised than hurt. His hazel eyes whirled in a wobble-like manner as he attempted to sit up, trying to figure out how the hell he wound up on the floor. He glanced upward, reluctant to see who it was who had imprinted their knuckles in his, now, bruised eye. He had a feeling as to what person it was even before he glimpsed the orange tank top and dirtied capris the towered over his bent body.

"Olette," he muttered viciously, lightly touching the edges around his hard hit eye.

"Yeah. Olette." Confirmed the girl; carefully caressing the cargo she had been caring in his arms. Her green eyes glared squarely at Hayner, "I won't have you talking about Tifa like that."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," droned the second blonde, sarcastically. He took the time to sit in his chair again, cautiously eying the girl's wrist to make she wouldn't hit him again.

"Evenin' Olette!" exclaimed Pence; it was at this point he noticed the thing she held in her arms, "…hey, is that ol' Wantz?"

Olette blinked, looking down at the sleeping creature snuggled at her breast. The thing looked so peaceful despite its horrendous name. "Heartless"… the name seemed somewhat ironic.

She nodded her head slowly, still obviously flustered by Hayner's disrespectful comment.

Her gaze went from Hayner to Pence and then almost immediately fell upon Roxas. Her green eyes seemed to stick to the boy like a magnet. The blonde felt chills crawl up his back the moment he felt the girl's gaze on him, and he didn't understand why. _Awkward,_ he thought with a frown. Could it be because of what he had learned from his two friends earlier that day? Was it because Olette might actually be a slut…? The boy quickly shook that idea out of his head. The girl had punched Hayner, lights out, for simply talking about Tifa's large—which they were—breasts. So nothing much seemed to change about her. If something offended her like that…how could she be defined as slutty?

"W-What?" Roxas sputtered, unintentionally, as a rush of weird awkwardness came over him. He avoided to look back at her eye-to-eye. Her gaze was far too intense for him to even sit still. There was just something different…almost _weird_…about her. She '_felt_' almost changed. The aura about her seemed altered somehow.

In order to cope with her weird glance, Roxas began cleaning up the rest of the soup that had long been spilled on the table. He was thoroughly trying to get this unnerved feeling off his chest.

"Hm? Feeling okay, Roxas?" she inquired; placing the heartless in and empty seat nearby so she could give her arms a rest.

"Crystal," he lied, reaching out for a hamburger of his own.

He could still feel her gaze upon him even after she had set the heartless down…or maybe she wasn't really staring at him…he was just having some weird feeling. Trying to start some sort of conversation he asked: "Where've you been?"

Hayner crossed his arms. "Too busy looking for someone to _do_ you?"

"Hayner!" snapped Pence, kicking him in the shin.

It was a good thing Olette was strong enough to handle those kinds of comments. Had she been any weaker, she'd surely run away bawling. Roxas glanced over the other blonde thoroughly discontent with the way he had been speaking as of late. The girl didn't pay any mind to the boy's insult, however; instead, she carried on as if he had never even said it.

Neither Roxas nor Pence had enough heart in them to bring it up again.

"I went looking for a job, and ran into some trouble on the way back," she explained, sitting herself down at the table in between Roxas and Pence…the furthest away from Hayner. "And that's why I was a bit late in getting here."

The two boys sitting nearest to her glanced at one another before giving equally confused looks back at Olette. Hayner only crossed his arms, muttering nonsense crap under his breath glaring dreadfully at the three of them.

"Trouble?"

Hayner seemed to grumble the words 'I eat grass' at this. Roxas shot him look. On closer inspection, he had actually said, 'trouble my ass'.

"Who'd you scold this time…?" asked Pence, knowing very well that's exactly what happened. It _did_ seem like a very Olette-thing to do, after all.

"Did the old man you bad mouth beat you with a cane…?"

Roxas frowned, shooting another look of ridicule back at Hayner, "Just shut up, would you?"

"Yes, sir. _Yeesh_…"

There was a relatively awkward silence after this. The three boys could tell that Olette didn't really want to tell them of whom she had scattered her blessings on this time. They had told her to be careful countless of times before. The girl was sure if she mentioned names, _she'd_ be the one to get a good scolding. Imagine getting scolded by the people _you _correct—it would put her in her place, that's for sure.

"Well, out with it already!" Hayner disliked silences, awkward ones especially. "It can't be that bad—"

"Axel."

Hayner froze mid-sentence. His hazel eyes seemed to glaze over, staring wordlessly at Olette. This time around, Pence was the one who dropped his food; his second serving of chicken wings came crashing to the dirt floor. They both stared at her, mouths agape, and eyes looking at her with ultimate disbelief. Neither of them could even believe she was actually sitting among them at that moment. It must have been some kind of mistake…If Olette had really met—scolded, even—_the _Axe_l_ then she would have clearly been—

Roxas blinked. "Who's that?"

Roxas had broken the inconvenient silence and changed it into a silence full of disbelief and utter disappointment. Hayner, Pence, and even Olette seemed to bury their faces in their hands. They didn't even bare to look at their friend's bewildered expression. Who was Axel? Is that what he wanted to know? Only an idiot wouldn't know who Axel was! He was the most popular and the most likable person of all members of the remaining Families (not that the redhead had much competition, of course). But despite being the most likable, he was also the most dangerous—or at least, that's what the rumors said.

"You, of all people, should know who Axel is!" cried Pence as he leaned back in his chair.

"Why's that?" the blonde arched a brow.

"He's the champ of the Struggle Tournament," Hayner articulated with a shrug. He seemed to have finally cooled off or completely forgotten about his black eye. "For—" he raised three fingers, "—three years straight. He's supposed to be a prodigy child for Struggling. _Man_ does that guy fight good! Shit. I can't believe you've never seen him in the arena! You'd piss yourself silly!"

Roxas frowned. He was rather sure he wouldn't piss himself if he saw someone fighting well or not. Also, the blonde had never been to or seen the Struggle Arena in his entire life; he had never been permitted to go because of his mother. Aerith wasn't up for much fighting exposure at a young age. Despite her efforts, however, Roxas had always been fond of Struggling. The very chance he had to sneak out from under his mother's watchful eye, was the very second both Sora, himself, and Naminé would go out to their favorite spot in their backyard and practice sparring. Sora had always been a good partner to spar with, and Naminé was always a great referee.

Naminé, being slightly older, knew more about the game than either of her brothers. Sora had always thought of their sparring as a great way to pass time, especially when they had nothing else to do. And Roxas, unlike Sora, had always been serious about it hoping to get better and better the more they practiced. He had always hoped to one-day stand in that very same arena taking Cloud's—his father's—place as reigning champion of the city.

All those hopes were dashed, though. Ever since the day his father…and his family—

Roxas had promised to never set foot in that arena. He had promised the moment Sora had been executed. He would never rest nor set foot in the Struggling rink until he avenged their deaths. He would fight, and continue to get stronger until the day he could step into that arena the strongest man. Until the day that he would be able to kill…_that man who killed my father._

Taking that into consideration, Roxas couldn't help but stammer, "I still don't see how I, of all people, would know this Axel guy. I've never been to the arena…you _all_ know that!"

"That's not it, Roxas," Olette interrupted, shaking her head from side to side, "Axel's not only the best Struggler around, but he's also the _heir_ to the Diamond Family!"

Roxas froze. _Heir of the Diamonds? _Okay, so that caught his attention. He never knew about a male heir to the Diamond Family. The only member from that family that he knew was Kairi. That girl had always been quite taken with Sora… She was the only one who ever came to visit the Hearts almost every single day. Roxas was quite sure that she was the only heir to the Diamonds.

"…Didn't you know?"

He shook his head vigorously.

"Oh, yeah. And Hayner wasn't exaggerating…" added Olette, taking her seat again, "…That guys so good at Struggle battles. Some people have even nicknamed him the heir to Cloud's name too! Loads of people are saying he's cut out to be the next reigning champion!"

Okay, so that was enough to _almost_ make Roxas piss and even spit out his food all over the table. _Almost_. The boy actually held in the urge. He, instead, half-choked on the burger remains in his mouth. He couldn't believe it. Someone was going to gain his father's title…? Someone who wasn't even part of the Heart Family? Someone, he himself, had never seen before in his entire life? This _Axel_…was going to be the so-called 'next reigning champion', a title that the blonde had always wanted from the very beginning?

_Like hell that's going to happen,_ his inner conscience thought nonchalantly. Roxas was definitely _not_ going to let that happen no matter how bad the odds were of him even entering the tournament in his state. For one thing, he needed a job. Secondly, he'd need some sort of coach or sponsor to, at least, stand there and look pretty. And lastly, he had neither of the first two choices!

"Ya know? I'm joining the tournament again this year," stated Hayner, thoroughly proud of himself, "Maybe I'll at least make it passed the preliminaries this time around. Who knows? Last year's was pretty tough…I'm sure Cid'll help me out as my sponsor any how."

It almost seemed like Tifa appeared of nowhere. "The tournament's gonna be one hundred times harder this year, I assure you," was what she said that finally made them all notice her presence there. The four of them began to worry as to when she actually came up to them, and how long she had been silently listening to their conversation. Hayner hoped to death she didn't hear him talking about her over-sized breasts.

Pence cocked his head to one side, "How do you know that, Tifa?"

The waitress only smiled, walking around to where Roxas sat. She stood almost immediately behind him, placing her gloved hands on either of the boy's small shoulders. One could only imagine how much envy was coursing through Hayner at this moment.

Roxas looked upward at her, completely confounded. Her face—and body, for that matter—was so near to his that the blonde couldn't help suppressing a slight blush. He was quite sure his friends opposite him would _so_ kill him later.

"Because," she began, another one of her award-winning smiles reaching her lips, "Roxas is going to be joining the Tournament this year too."

The four of them, including Roxas, couldn't seem to believe Tifa's words. None of them remembered the boy ever mentioning being part of the Struggle this year, and it was only a month away now!

"B-But, Tifa, who's his sponsor?"

Tifa looked down at Roxas and planted a small kiss on the boy's forehead. Roxas's face went crimson, Hayner's and Pence's, on the other hand, went numb with jealousy.

"I am," was her only reply.

"_You_?" gapped Hayner, face pale. Oh, how he yearned to be Roxas at that moment. "Shit! Now I have _no_ chance of passing preliminaries! Roxas is probably able of beating everyone in that stupid Tournament anyway! Screw it; I'm not joining this year! I'm betting five that Roxas'll be the winner this year."

At this the second blonde crossed his arms, making his infamous pout-filled face. Olette could only shrug, silently wondering why the owner of the stand—the sexiest lady in all the slums—would choose to be Roxas's sponsor. Not only was she fit, shape wise, but her hand-to-hand combat was also one of a kind. In her league, she was also a top Struggler. It amazed people how a person could be that 'hawt' and still be able to pack an extremely hard punch—literally.

Roxas couldn't believe his ears. All the nerves in his body seemed to go completely numb. Not only had the woman just kissed his forehead, but she had also voluntarily made herself his sponsor for the tournament he had, just moments ago, been fantasizing about going to. At this rate, he'd be able to fulfill what he wanted to do—he'd be able to stop that damn Axel-guy from reaching that title name that _he_ deserved. It was like fate was drawing him toward this goal now. The blonde's heart leaped. He was excited. He'll be in his first tournament…and he'd be fighting for his father's name. In his father's name. For revenge on the Families.

Roxas, at that moment, swore to himself he would defeat this heir to the Diamonds. He would make him suffer in the same way the Families made _him_ suffer. All his hate, all his rage, and even all of the jealousy that had built up from within him for the past couple years…was to be directed straight at this mystery heir. It would the heir of Diamonds versus the previous heir of Hearts. Clash between heirs. Roxas was pretty damn sure he'd be able to fulfill his promise too.

_Oh… Axel, you are _so_ going down!_

_

* * *

_

"—_Achoo!_"

Axel sniffled lightly, dumping Demyx onto one of the elegant couches in the Clover Family's large living room. _Allergies…_ he thought grotesquely, picking at the bits of grass that had somehow lodged themselves into the cracks in the soles of his shoes. The moment they had arrived at the mansion was not a second too late, and not a second too soon in saving the poor sitarist's life. The poor guy had lost so much blood it was a wonder how he was able to sleep so soundly on the couch now. Thankfully, the Clovers had their own personal doctor in their household who was able to look at the mohawked blonde and instantly bandage his severe wound.

The redhead had been told that the only thing Demyx would have to worry about was getting rabies. He wasn't even sure if a heartless could even _have_ rabies, especially one that hung around with peasant kids all day. It was actually a wonder where that heartless's mouth even was! The thing's entire face had been covered in a weird helmet-like thing, and the rest of its face had been hidden in a weird sort of darkness. Soldier Heartless were so unexplainable. Axel didn't dare try to understand the unexplainable. They were too much of a hassle.

Rubbing his sore neck (which was now collar free), Axel yawned. Xigbar seemed to have left the mansion a while back when he found out Larxene wasn't even going to show up to the party anyway. He must have given the key for the collar to the doctor. The guy released them the moment he had bandaged up Demyx's arm.

Axel was thoroughly glad that Larxene didn't like the set up either. Relief had filled his body the moment he heard about the whole ordeal from Marluxia—Larxene's older brother (and who Axel was sure was secretly a woman). The 'gentleman' had left the mansion shortly after he had informed the redhead about the nonexistent betrothal party. As far as they were concerned, the pairing had never even been mentioned.

Feeling relatively satisfied with himself but tired at the same time, he sank down in a soft sofa-like chair on the opposite side of the room. He needed to give himself a little bit of rest before he could even decide to head home. The sun had already gone down, and Axel didn't want to have to carry Demyx anymore. He was just trying to delay the inevitable, one could say.

After what seemed like fifteen minutes of merely sitting there in silence, dozing off from time to time, someone entered through the large double doors at the north end of the room. The echoing sound of the heavy doors closing made the teen jump and look around in a panic for the source of the noise. He almost felt like grumbling the words: 'who dares disturb my slumber?', but managed to refrain himself from doing that. _That_ was something only Xigbar would say, and it was bad enough being the guy's son.

"Oh," said a deep voice, as the man stepped toward Axel to get a better look at him, "You…are Axel? The son of Xigbar?"

The redhead furrowed his brow and nodded at that silver-haired, golden-eyed man who stood before him now. He refrained from speaking typically because he had always been told, as a child, not to talk to strange people who knew your name. Axel, however, had updated that phrase to if you knew the person, but knew they were psychotic, or you didn't like them—avoid them as much as possible.

He knew exactly who this man was, and he didn't like the guy much either. "And you're Xemnas."

The Lord of the Spades Family seemed manage a wicked grin, "So you know who I am."

Axel frowned. _Fuck, is it that obvious?_ He seemed to roll his eyes, shifting in his chair uncomfortably. "What do you want?"

"To talk, that's all. I didn't think I'd meet you here, though." At this, the man turned to look over at Demyx sleeping on the couch. Xemnas seemed to twitch angrily at the sight of the sleeping man, "…this was a bit unexpected."

There was no reply to this. Axel seemed to have taken quite an interest in the odd patterns that were neatly sewn into the chair his sat in. His fingers mindlessly seemed to scratch at them as though hoping to peel them off like a sticker.

Xemnas reverted his attention back to Axel, golden eyes eying him with as much interest as the teen had with the sewn patterns. Immediately feeling the horrible gaze of the other man, Axel looked him straight in the face. Emerald eyes meeting those of yellow.

"If you're expecting me to say something, I won't," he said, plainly, standing up. "I have nothing I want to say to you."

"I know." Chuckled the other, arms folding, "However…I have something I would like to speak with you about."

"…And that would be?"

The teen didn't seem even remotely interested in what Xemnas wanted to say.

"Not here," Xemnas hissed, voiced growing softer, "I want to see you at my mansion tomorrow afternoon. What say you to 3 PM?"

Axel's face wrinkled. "What you want to say, you can say now," he stated, frown prominent on his weary face. "I don't want to have to waste my time—"

"—I assure you, your time will _not_ be wasted," interrupted the man, hand pulling at the teen's firm shoulder. His face seemed to twist in an odd sort of way that looked almost evil…Axel couldn't help but feel at least a little bit inferior because of it. "I just want to talk to you about your…_future_."

That last word sent chills up the redhead's spine. Just the way Xemnas seemed to utter it made him feel excruciatingly creeped out. Despite having such an odd feeling…Axel felt like he couldn't refuse the man's offer. He felt like it would be a bad idea to do otherwise… He didn't understand why, but he just had this _really_ bad feeling about it.

"F-Fine," Axel managed to sputter, emerald eyes turning to look away from the weird-o.

Xemnas appeared totally satisfied with the teen's one word, awkward-like answer. In fact, he even went as far as shaking hands with him before saying, "See you then," and then taking his leave out of the Clover's royal living room through the south end of the room.

The redhead couldn't help shake off the weird feeling that was spreading through him now. The man's leave had indeed lifted the tension that had spread throughout his body, but it had also left a remnant of Xemnas planted on him. He had no idea what kind of future the man had in mind for him; in fact, he really didn't care what the guy had to say about him. Even thought he didn't care, Axel couldn't help but care about what the Lord of the Spades had in mind for him come tomorrow…

…What ever it was, Axel knew it wasn't good.

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Uhm...I'm not good at cliffhangers so that's not much of a cliffhanger...hee hee hehe...-innocent smile- 

Next chapter: Roxas need to find a job. He FINALLY takes a shower (I'm serious about this). Axel, on the other hand, has to go meet up with Xemnas... -cough-Mansex-cough- ...Will Axel be able to survive...live/physical _torture_ o.O! Find out soon, peeps!


	4. Chapter 3

Summary: Axel's an ignorant aristocratic boy from one of the Four Families of Horizon's End (Rebirth, it was later renamed), and Roxas is a poor kid out on the streets...but was he always peasant?And why does he havesuch a strange grudge against the Families? Alternate Universe: AnAkuRoku fic. Based in a Victorian Era twisted with a modern-day sort of setting.

Author's Notes: Okay, FINALLY chapter 3. I know. You can shoot me. Sorry, everyone. School already started for me, I have no summer break, so I virtually have a limited time for writing. Plus, this chapter is INSANELY long...omg. 24 pages -dies-. I really hope everyone likes this chapter. There were a LOT of new character introductions, and yes, Disney characterswill play roles in this fanfic. They deserve it. Kingdom Hearts without Disney would virtually be nothing, so props to them.This chapter is pretty much a prelude into the fourth chapter for both Axel and Roxas on both sides of the city. They won't be meeting yet next chapter either. Five, I'm thinking will be their first meeting. I'm totally waiting for it! Hee hee...But until then, please bare with me.

On a side note, thanks for all the reviews :)! A lot of you are right on with what Xemnas is going to do with Axel... Though that doesn't happen in this chapter...you guys all have the right idea. A little hint for you! Also, the mystery behind the fact that NO ONE knows who Roxas is... is revealed in this chapter.Iwaswondering when someone would ask about it... Thanks to Random Fan forbringing it up, who ever you are x3!

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**Chapter 3: The Underground**

The Spade Mansion turned out to be even gloomier than Axel had last remembered it. He didn't visit often, mind you. The redhead only came around whenever he was called upon or if Xigbar threatened him to, which hadn't been very recent at all. It seemed, even up till now, the teen would never set foot out of his mansion premises without there being a reason to. He was lazy. Not as lazy as Demyx, but lazy nonetheless. The mere thought of mingling among idiots was just too troublesome to even think about.

The last time he had come here had been about seven years ago in celebration for his betrothal to Naminé. He had never even met the girl in his entire life until that moment they stood next to each other; both forced to stand there and look pretty as their family members took countless numbers of photos. Axel was pretty sure he wasn't even of age, at the time, to understand what hell marriage was or why he had to make googily eyes at the younger girl beside him. To top things off, that was actually the first day the teen had set foot outside of his mansion property. It had been the first time he met kids like him. It had been the first time he mingled with people he didn't know. And it had even been the first time he held hands with a _girl_, which (he noted to himself) had felt rather calming.

There had been a lot of firsts that day, but ironically enough, all those memories had been set in a rather sad location. The redhead had always thought the Spades homestead to be haunted, creepy, and a thoroughly EMO environment. It never appealed to him as being one of those warm, welcoming types of places. He had never actually been _inside_ the mansion before (his party had been set outside), so he was somewhat curious to know how eerie it was inside compared to outside.

Odd little images of torture chambers and medieval stone hallways always seemed to flood into his mind whenever he thought of the inside décor. Xemnas always seemed to be the type to want to rule over things, people, heartless, and nobodies with an iron fist…rod…light sabers—or whatever his weapon of choice was.

As Axel hesitantly rang the doorbell, he figured the best way to ease his nervousness was to simply think of this as a little adventure. As much as he didn't want to be there, he couldn't erase the fact that he was a little curious. He'd be shown the inside of a place he'd never seen before. It'd be just like walking through a haunted mansion! Or at least that's how he hoped it would be, anyway. The supernatural had always intrigued the teen, and he was slightly expecting to see something weird happen within confines the Royal Spades' mansion. That simple thought seemed to keep a bit of his nervousness at bay as he stood there, alone, waiting for one of the servants to come fetch him and let him inside.

He stood alone that day. Demyx had, oddly enough, refused to come with. The redhead had even threatened the dirty blonde with three weeks of hunting with Xigbar, and he _still_ refused to go. The sitarist had been pretty dead set on never going near anything Spade-related… He must not have a 'thing' for the supernatural like he did.

In response to his doorbell pressing, there came no servant in its wake. The grounds of the mansion remained completely motionless save for the trees blowing with the cool breeze. It was as though no one were home. Not a single sign of life in sight.

Frown prominent on his face, the redhead flipped his wrist, pulling down his white sleeve to reveal what appeared to be a seventy-hundred-thousand-munny-worth watch. Leaning forward for a better look at the time, it read in corny digital numerics: 3:06 PM. He had been standing around for a good six minutes. He had just wasted six fucking minutes of his life, and the teen couldn't help but groan at the thought of it. Not that he had anything better to do with his time. All he did was stay at home, lounge around, eat, sleep, and play video games. Though, at least he did _something_. Anything was better than standing around in front of some house he didn't even want to go to.

Impatiently tapping an index finger against his slim arm, Axel was just about to ring the doorbell again, in one final attempt to catch someone's attention, before he felt a light tap upon his left shoulder. Slightly startled, but not willing to show any sign of it in his features, the redhead merely looked over his shoulder.

As he looked back, he spied a slightly shorter man standing just behind him. Odd how he hadn't noticed the blue-haired, black suited, and rather drone looking young man there to begin with. With those features, he'd be hard not to recognize. Axel was actually pretty sure he'd be able to distinguish this fellow in a crowd of more than a thousand men (women, however, would make it difficult).

"Excuse me," the man said in a rather courteous tone of voice. "But the Superior…asked me to fetch you." 'Superior' obviously meant Xemnas.

Axel knew who this person was; he had seen this young man that stood before him several times before. _Another one of Xemnas's lapdogs_, he thought, cynically, generously hiding an inner sneer.The redhead arched a brow, "…Well, if it isn't Zexion." He chuckled lightly, scratching the back of his head, "Still barking for the 'Superior' I see."

The servant called Zexion didn't even flinch at the joke intended insult. His solemn expression and bluish-like hair remained completely still as though his movements were made through complete robotic instruction. He didn't even make an effort to defend himself!

"So, where is the Superior, anyway?" continued the teen, knowing quite well that the blue-haired guy wouldn't answer unless he asked something relating to the assignment he was assigned to. "And why isn't anyone answering the gate? No one home?"

Zexion merely turned to face in the other direction, arms limply swinging at his side. "He's at Redemption Hall," said he, monotonously, walking in a direction he had probably just come from. "He's doing some business down there…" The guy didn't even make an effort to look back and check if Axel would follow or not.

The redhead furrowed his brow, staring dumbfounded at the back of the other's head. Feeling a bit intrigued, but at the same time horrified, his legs mechanically fell into step not far behind the one leading the way. He was intrigued because he wanted to know why Xemnas was hanging out in place like that, but at the same time, he was also horrified with the fact that the 'Superior' fucking wanted him to hang out at Redemption Hall _with_ him.

_Redemption Hall…? That's the city prison, isn't it?_ An eerie chill seemingly shot up his spine from out of nowhere at the thought of their destination. _That_ place happened to be the very _last_ place Axel wanted to find himself. As much as he thought the Spades mansion was pretty bad…Redemption Hall happened to be the lowest thing on his list of places to find one's self. He had heard too many stories about that place (Stories mainly coming from Xigbar's demented brain). Stories too supernatural for even a supernatural lover like Axel…

"Okay, _sooo_, we're going where, again?"

"Redemption Hall." Replied the rather dull Zexion, expression looking as if he were about to yawn.

Axel crossed his arms, lips pressing tightly as his mind rolled in thought.

"You have any idea—?"

"No."

"—what—"

"No."

"—Xemnas wants to—"

"No."

"…Can't you even let me finish?" pleaded the teen, annoyed at being interrupted.

It took a brief pause before Zexion could answer back for he was avidly trying to avoid the large crowds of people that liked to gather noisily in the open streets around this time. Although he took a little longer to respond, his tone remained firm and unmoved by Axel's attempted plea: "No." was still his one and only response.

Axel frowned; _talk about dull with a capital D._

The prison, conveniently enough, was not too far away from the Spade mansion. Actually, Redemption Hall, itself, happened to be under the Spades' jurisdiction even before the destruction of the Hearts. It was almost considered Xemnas-property, which only added a creepier effect to the stories told about the place. Although Axel would have liked the location to be a little further away (so he stall time)…he had to admit that at least he wouldn't have to walk as much.

The redhead didn't even have time to finish humming his E.D.G.E song by the time they reached the entrance to the prison. He had even stopped humming the moment the word "REDEMPTION" was legible on the sign from where both he and Zexion were coming from. Axel swore he had sensed some sort of freaky vibe coming from that place, which compensated for a more silent treatment than a joyous victory song. He was quite sure if he hummed happily a very unhappy prisoner'd shoot him several times in the back.

"We're here," stated the blue-haired, drone-like servant, stepping toward the automatic sliding doors that led the way inside.

Axel followed close, but not too close, behind. The redhead wasn't frightened at being in the very last place he wanted to be, but he couldn't shake the eerie feeling that continued to stalk him as he continued through the lobby. The moment the automatic doors closed shut, he felt like there was no way of turning back now.

The lobby, despite its aura, appeared rather welcoming. It was relatively larger than what the redhead would have expected a prison lobby to be, and it was very, _very_ clean. The entire place was completely whitewashed. There wasn't even a speck of black or dirt on the tiled floor. All Axel could see, wherever he turned, was white: white floor, white walls, white desks, and even the secretary seated under the Information sign wore a white suit. It was also disturbingly silent. The echoing of his heel and toe on the hard floor could easily be heard bouncing off each wall in a simultaneous motion.

The place seemed to remind the teen almost exactly of that one 'Ministry of Love' he had read about in a certain book by some guy named Orwell. Not that Axel liked reading, but it had been a part of one of his home school projects. He had no choice. Anyway, that Ministry, from what he could remember, did _not_ turn out to be the kind of lovely place the title had entailed. It, too, had been a sort of…prison. A place of torture…a place of ultimate 'redemption' for those who could not abide by the rules.

Looks could be deceiving. Axel mentally kept note of that as he followed the blue-haired servant toward the information booth and toward the waiting secretary.

The secretary, a strangely weird-looking obese lady, stared out at the two men filing passed her. The heavy mascara she wore upon her lidded eyes seemed to enhance her all too grotesque features. Her skin was purple an obvious sign that she was probably allergic to the sun, and she sat in a sort of weird like contraption. At a quick glance, the redhead was able to realize that the woman had no legs. All that he could see was a sad-looking piece of short skirt that was only enough to cover what little waistline she had left.

Axel would have probably felt a little bit of sympathy for her had it not been for the fact that her eyes were piercing daggers at him in an accusing manner.

"State your business," she growled, forehead wrinkling.

Zexion shrugged and pointed a thumb over at Axel, "Don't bother, Ursula. He's with me."

The secretary's features immediately died down the moment she realized the other's existence there. Apparently striking red-hair was more obvious than deep blue. Her growl quickly turned into an almost sweet hum, and her eyes ceased in their dagger piercing. Ursula merely surveyed Axel before waving a hand as if to dismiss him from her sight. Then, as if forgetting about the redhead's existence all together, she turned to Zexion, her lips up in a gentle smile.

"How's business been, dear?" she asked, red lipstick smearing to the side of her mouth as she spoke.

"…Busy." Muttered the young man, obviously disgusted by her mannerism. "The Young Master and I really need to get going—"

"Oh, oh, quite right. _Quite_ right." Interrupted Ursula, leaning back in her customized chair, "I mustn't keep you boys waiting…"

Was that a slur of attempted sexiness in her voice…? Axel blinked, head batting back and forth between the two. _How…awkward._

Zexion, probably not meaning to be rude, nodded his head to the secretary than immediately began walking passed the information booth, his pace almost five times faster than before. Axel had to smack himself to keep from staring at the highly grotesque woman in order to keep up with the servant.

_That_ had definitely been an experience he didn't want to have happen again any time soon. Old ladies like that should _not_ be permitted to hit on sexy youngsters—_not that Zexion's sexy…_The teen was pretty confident that he held more potential than that blue-haired lapdog.

The servant didn't seem to slow his pace until the came to the very end of the large lobby. They came to an abrupt stop in front a tall door (also whitewashed to complete perfection). It seemed to be the only door in the entire lobby, save for the entrance. There weren't even any plants or decorations anywhere! Axel wondered what the use of such a large lobby was if it only housed an utterly disgusting secretary who had a thing for Zexion and nothing else.

"I think she likes you," said the redhead, feeling a little hopeful at starting a bit of conversation.

From a regular person, Axel could expect an angry roar or a fist in protest, but this servant was far from regular. The guy merely pulled out what looked like a card key, slipped it into a small opening just to the side of the door, and then pulled it out. He didn't pay any mind to the teen's useless attempts at some light banter. It just wasn't his thing.

After only a few brief moments, a few _beep beeps_ and other registering noises could be heard echoing through the lobby, and then with a light _ding_ the large door slide open. Axel craned his neck to peer into the next room just as the door opened. He blinked, feeling a bit confused and somewhat unsure about something.

The thing was, the door didn't lead into a next room like he had expect… It was an elevator.

"Inside, Sir," urged Zexion, thoroughly concerned with the fact that Axel hadn't budged from his spot. "Master Xemnas awaits below."

Hesitantly, the teen glanced around the lobby quickly to make sure he was still in the same building. Axel hadn't seen any other stories from outside. The prison, from what he knew and saw, was only a one-story building—there wasn't supposed to be an elevator! Well, despite the natural laws of physics, the redhead walked into the cold, whitewashed elevator still feeling a bit skeptical.

"Below, huh?" he bemused, pocketing both hands. "That's pretty smart."

The door shut. Axel managed to glimpse the last bit of outside before the elevator shot downward. He had to admit that being out of the heat of sun and away from windows was slightly unnerving. Redemption Hall was, apparently, an underground prison; meaning there would be no 'outside' for a while. Also, considering that there was only one exit and one entrance via elevator (that the teen knew of)…there would be or _should _be no trouble of escapee prisoners.

He had never actually heard of runaway prisoners from Redemption Hall… Actually, he had never even heard of any prisoners being released from Redemption Hall either. Those who went in…never seemed to come out again.

The redhead couldn't shake this nervous feeling that quenched his stomach. What was it about this? He felt like he wasn't supposed to be here. He felt like something was wrong…something was about to happen. The thought of meeting Xemnas made him shudder. Was it fear? Axel wasn't sure.

They must have gone down about ten floors below ground level before the elevator slowed to a stop. The glowing number at the top of the elevator spoke 13—a number that was far more than Axel had expected. He had always thought the prison to be pretty big thanks to the tales Xigbar had always told him, but thirteen floors (and possibly more) far exceeded what he though was big. This facility, to him, was gigantic! A Spades secret, no doubt… It was no wonder no one ever came out of here!

_Ding._

The door slid open. Axel stared out at this new room with interest, falling into step behind Zexion as they clambered out of the elevator. Before the two was a rather long, wide whitewashed hallway aligned with many whitewashed jail cells. As far as they both could see, there were at least one or two people within each cell, all hanging around idly chatting amongst each other. However, the moment the elevator door had closed, all attention was plastered on the two free-beings that were now walking passed them.

"Ignore the trash," murmured Zexion. He picked up his pace the moment several prisoners rushed their bodies at the bars that bound them, trying to extend their hands toward him.

Axel had already been feeling rather out of place, but here, he felt more sympathetic and guilty than anything else. Sure, he didn't know what crimes they committed…but seeing people in such a horrible state like this hit him hard. He tried his best to keep his emerald eyes straight ahead of him, but found that it was almost impossible to. He could only pick up his pace and catch up with Zexion to avoid from being caught up by all the people calling out his name.

They knew who he was. He didn't know them. It felt weird, and the redhead didn't like it.

The silence of the lobby was now long gone and replaced by the horrible noise of wailing, pleading, screaming, and shouting. Axel had to cover his ears just to stabilize how he walked…the sounds were just too much for him to take. Zexion, who had had much experience with this sort of thing, had an easy time ignoring the loudness. _So this explains why he can ignore me so well,_ thought the redhead, as he passed by cell number 9,431._ Shit, those are a lot of cells. Where do they all come from…?_

At the very end of the hallway was another door, and Zexion had to once again pull out his cardkey to take care of the matter at hand. Before he slipped in the key, though, the blue-haired servant finally turned around to get a good look at Axel. His face still looked the same as it did when the redhead had first laid eyes of him.

"The Superior is in the next room—"

"Ohh!" cried a very distinct voice above all other voices. By now most of the prisoners had given up hope in catching Axel attention—all except this one. "Here teh see thee Superior, are ye, laddie…?"

Both Zexion and Axel turned to face the one who had rudely interrupted their conversation. Axel, actually, didn't mind being interrupted considering the fact that it would stall more time, but Zexion seemed rather pissed off about it. The blue-haired servant had permission to interrupt others, but would _not_ tolerate being interrupted. Especially if he was interrupted by somebody—a thief, bandit, and womanizer extraordinaire—like Jack Sparrow.

"Mind your own business, pirate," scowled Zexion, eyes flashing hate.

"Tsk. It's _Captain_ Jack Sparrow, luv." Replied the prisoner in a singy-songy kind of way. "Ye forget already?"

Jack Sparrow merely bowed his head in courtesy to Axel and smiled rather innocently back at man he had just angered. The redhead could only grin to himself at how this rogue managed to easily speak his mind without any regrets. From what he could tell, this prisoner seemed rather cunning. There just seemed to be a certain air about this character that intrigued him greatly. Had it not been for the state Sparrow was in now, Axel would have probably looked up to this man.

"That's a nice hat," complimented Axel, staring at Sparrow's awesomely cool attire. He'd have to try and wear something like _that_ one day. He'd be one sexy beast…

"Thank ye, lad," Jack Sparrow easily tipped his hat off and tossed it over to Axel. Axel, with quick reflexes caught it, "Try it on if yerup to it."

Zexion quickly swatted the thing from the redhead's hand in utter disgust. He quickly kicked the hat to one side, far away from Sparrow's groping hand. "Don't take filth from people like him."

Both the redhead and the prisoner gave rather affronted looks at the blue-haired servant. Jack Sparrow quite liked his hat. It wasn't filth, and he wanted it back. Axel, on the other hand, couldn't believe a mere servant had just swatted something he had asked for from _his_ grasp! What manners this servant had! Even Demyx knew better than to do that, and that, in itself, said a lot.

Axel quickly bent down, picked up the hat and placed the thing on top of his spike-y red hair despite Zexion's cold advice. The teen smirked delightfully at the servant's disapproving expression, and turned to look back at the rogue prisoner to let him a better look.

"Ahh…" whispered Sparrow in wonderment, "…It flatters nicely,mate."

Axel beamed (something that didn't quite happen very often, but when it did, it meant he was excruciatingly happy about something), "Can…I barrow it? I'll give it back after the storm." By storm, he was referring to Xemnas.

Captain Jack Sparrow stood up from where he had been crouching on the floor and slowly began to pace about. "Like it that much, ey?"

The redhead nodded, noting in the back of his mind that he probably looked hella badass at the moment.

"Well… I s'pose. But I'll have you know yeh'll have to pay for time," stated the Captain, grinning widely to reveal a few of his gold teeth, "What you say tothree thousanddabloons and a large ship?"

"How 'bout I make it 10 thousand dabloons and we forget the ship?"

The teen had no idea where to get a ship, anyway. He didn't care about money. Axel could quite literally spend as much money as he wanted and not affect his Family cash. All he seemed to care about was the hat. He wanted that damn pirate's hat. It was cool. He liked cool things. Cool things fit him well.

Jack Sparrow paused in his pacing a moment and then suddenly lit up like a light bulb. "Done deal, there, lad. Quite a bargain..."he exclaimed, grinning even wider than before."Ay, you've just scored yerself a deal with a pirate."

Axel successfully refrained himself from jumping up and down in excitement. He was already acting childish as it was asking for a hecka cool pirate's hat, but he just couldn't contain himself! So what if most parents would say to never talk or take anything from strange convicts locked up in a cell? Xigbar had been all for it! That old geezer would always go around introducing to himself to random strangers and taking his boy along with him. There even happened to be this one time with the leader of the back porch mafia not too long ago where…

"We are wasting time, the Superior will be thoroughly displeased," muttered Zexion, eyes twitching incoherently as he watch Sparrow make weird faces at him from the far end of his whitewashed cell, "Come." At this, the servant swiftly inserted the cardkey through its correct side slot, and pulled it out.

The redhead felt the strange, eerie feeling suddenly return to him the moment he heard the door click open. It felt as though a dangerous aura were leaking profusely from the next room and into this one. Several of the prisoners nearby, including the hatless Jack Sparrow, all shuddered simultaneously as if some cold breeze had blown passed. The only person who seemed unaffected the by the sensation was Zexion, but he didn't count.

The blue-haired servant stepped to the side as he opened the door, allowing Axel to enter the next room first. The redhead didn't quite like the idea of wandering in first, but saw that he had no choice in the matter when he immediately caught sight of the glowing yellow eyes that peered at him from within. The head of the Spades urged the teen to come inside, a rather ironic smile touching upon his face.

Axel stood where he was for a moment, not knowing whether to accept the other's offer. Emerald eyes slyly shifted in Jack Sparrow's direction in an almost desperate attempt to find some sort of alibi to keep from having to go inside. Unfortunately, the Captain, despite his clever ways, could only mouth the words 'good luck, mate, may yer soul make it through' and then shrug his shoulders. It seemed that the redhead wasn't going to have any more help from the rogue aside from the lucky hat he wore on his head.

Seeing that he could no longer stall time, Axel stepped into the room.

Zexion too followed him inside; the servant took the time to quickly close the door tightly behind him.

Oddly enough, this room wasn't whitewashed like the rest of the place. It was actually excruciatingly dirty, gray, and uninviting, and there was only one flimsy little light bulb hanging from the center of the room that lit the place up. Even though there happened to be only one source of light inside, the room was pretty large, and to Axel's disgust it looked recently used. The one thing that caught his complete and undivided attention was the distinct odor of fresh blood that hung in the air.

Another surprised that caught the redhead off guard was the fact that Xemnas wasn't the only one in the room. From what he could to tell under the dim light of the room, there were at least two other people hanging around. If this were some sort of ambush or assassination attempt…Axel knew he wouldn't be able to escape. He was slightly relieved that none of them moved from where they were situated when he walked in. He quickly dismissed the thought of murder from his mind.

He had, at first, though this to be the Superior's office room or something before he had inconveniently walked in. On closer inspection and a bit of squinting, the teen found out that he was actually standing in the midst of a torture chamber. _The_ torture chamber of Redemption Hall. The very same chamber Xigbar had told him horrible stories about… _Why the fuck am I here again?_

"Welcome," Xemnas greeted, trying his best to sound welcoming. It was a sad attempt. His words sounded almost forced. "Sorry for the inconvenience…I was in the middle of some very important business," at this his golden eyes looked over at the person half hidden in the darkness, the closest body to Axel. The person appeared to be a teenage boy just about Axel's age. "…and I couldn't quite get away from it."

Axel gazed over in the direction of the silver-like wispy haired boy seated across from Xemnas. From what the redhead could gather about the boy's appearance, he was a prisoner and he had just been severely tortured. He was bleeding from one arm, and his left eye didn't look like it'd be able to open any time soon.

The boy didn't say anything as the redhead surveyed him. All he could do was gaze right back at him, a hint of worry evident in his eyes.

"It's fine," muttered Axel, stepping closer into the light. "I didn't like having to walk though…" _Bastard._ It was a mental thought he would have liked to say out loud.

"Ha ha…of course. An heir like yourself wouldn't—"

"He's an heir?" asked the boy, breaking his silence, completely aware that he had just interrupted the man who had probably ordered to have him tortured. "The Heir…heir of… Could you be…Axel?"

Xemnas shot a harsh glare at the boy. The boy, in turn, flashed his own bluish-green eyes back at him. Even in such a weak state that he was in, the teenage boy didn't look like he was going to back down. Torture wasn't enough to break down his strong spirit—Axel admired that.

"Yeah, that's my name," replied the redhead adjusting Sparrow's pirate's hat upon his head, ignoring the shocked stares from both Zexion and Xemnas. "What of it?"

The teen-boy quickly tore his gaze away from the Superior and up at the heir of the Hearts name. His gaze of worry quickly changed to a gaze of remorse and longing.

"…Kairi. You know Kairi?" he asked, voice almost mechanical.

"She's my cousin, but why—"

"She's alive?"

Axel stared, brows furrowing, "Yeah…why wouldn't she be?"

"Thank _god_…Kairi—she's been alive all this time!" gapped the boy, standing up from his seat as if his entire body had been suddenly revitalized. He then quickly hobbled over to Axel and took his hand in an appreciative manner. "My name…it's Riku. Tell Kairi. Tell her: Riku. _Please._ She knows me. We were friends before…She, I, Naminé, and the Sora twi—!"

_Thud._ Riku had fallen to the floor. A rather largely built man withlight brownishhair (who apparently came out of nowhere) had just punched the wispy silver-haired teen, severely, in the jaw. A trickle of blood seeped from his mouth, and he now found it relatively hard to stand up again. The built man must have been standing in the room as the prison's official bodyguard. He had probably been stationed in the room long before the redhead had even set foot in the facility.

"W-Woah…" murmured Axel, feeling rather winded at the fact that the previous punch had just missed his face by a millimeter. "The _hell _was that for?"

The young heir glared up at thelight brunetteman. What was it today with people disrupting those _he_ talked to? Didn't he have a right to talk to who ever he wanted to? Didn't everyone have that right?

Axel fumed, eyes narrowing. Sure, this Riku kid might have done something pretty nasty to be placed behind bars in the first place, but he didn't need to be punched _that_ hard! From Axel's perspective, the kid didn't even do anything wrong (aside from interrupting Xemnas, but that didn't count in the least)! And as a double bonus, he knew both Kairi _and_ Naminé! The kid had grasped his curiosity. He wanted to know. Who, what, how, when, and why? So many questions… no time to voice them.

Just as Xemnas was about to open his mouth to say something, Riku managed interrupt him to growl a forewarning: "Axel, don't listen to a word they say! They manipulate people to do what they want. Don't—Don't agree to _anything_!" At this the blonde man kicked him in the stomach. Riku writhed in pain, but refused to shut up before he got his point across, "No matter what. Y-You won't g-gain anything… They'll dispose of you once they're through—!"

"_Enough_," snapped a most thoroughly annoyed-looking Xemnas, "Lexaeus restrain the boy and take him to his cell. Zexion, go with him."

Without wasting any more time, thebrunette guard (Lexaeus, Axel assumed) stepped a bit toward Riku who was now crouched in a sort of fettle position. His arms hugged fiercely at his painful stomach. Zexion, too, moved in to take care of this disobedient prisoner, and left Axel to stand there glowering at the two lapdogs.

Despite being an heir, Axel still didn't have enough authority to overrule Xemnas's orders. They were _his_ servants. This was _his_ facility. And technically speaking, Riku and all the other prisoners here belonged to _him_. The man could virtually do whatever he wanted with them. If he wanted them dead, there would be no complaints. If he wanted them cooked for supper, there would be no protests. He was the master. '_Superior_' was not at title for mere show.

"…And what of me?" asked a low voice from the darkest corner of the room. It was from the voice of a sixth person. One that Axel didn't realize was there. The fact that the teen _still_ couldn't even find where this man stood creeped him out immensely. "Will this be another fun little game of torture? Or should I go…?"

"No, Sephiroth, it's not. But I want you stay behind anyway," said Xemnas, yellow eyes flashing in the redhead's direction, "I may…need your _humble_ assistance."

"_Ohh…_ I see. So this one's one of _those_ cases," chuckled Sephiroth, his hidden eyes inspecting Axel with excitement. His tone of voice seemed to entail one of realization and awe. Apparently, the hidden person had figured out Xemnas's hidden figure of speech, if it even was figurative.

Axel, on the other hand, was completely clueless about the secret communication between the evilly plotting men. Odd shivers just seemed to creep throughout his body as he desperately squinted in the dark trying to find where Sephiroth stood. Was the guy leaning against the wall? Were his arms crossed? Was he sitting in a chair? On the floor? Perhaps picking his nose? The teen was anxious to know. He didn't like the feeling of knowing someone was there but not knowing _where_ they were. It put him at a great disadvantage, and the redhead wasn't a big fan of being caught off guard.

"Oh…right…" Xemnas grinned mischievously. He seemed to have looked in the direction of the, now, open doorway.

Both Zexion and Lexaeus had just hauled Riku out of the room despite all of the boy's angry protests. He was fighting back with every last bit of strength he had left in him. He obviously wanted to stay in the room with Axel. He wanted to have a decent talk with him. He wanted to make sure the redhead wouldn't make any decisions he would regret. His bruised hands frantically clawed at the sides of the door, intent on remaining in the room.

Xemnas sighed hopelessly at the sight of the troublesome boy. Brushing a hand against his silver locks the Superior began to think. It seemed the only way to make Riku give up and go back to his cell was to get rid of the core thing that held him to this room: he'd have to do something about Axel. He shrugged his shoulders, feeling a little bit indecisive about what he was about to order. The man had planned to save this coarse of action for later…but it seemed Riku had significantly altered his 'perfect' schedule.

A little reluctant, the Superior raised his right hand and waved it over at the invisible figure in the corner. "Sephiroth. Do it." He commanded, closing both eyes in thought.

As all this was going on, the redhead became totally lost in all the commotion; his head had been fly back and forth between opposite ends of the room. He didn't understand what the hell was going on, and he didn't even know what he was supposed to do. Half of him wanted to help Riku, but the other half told him that sudden death awaited if he did so.

Axel had been so wrapped up in the back and forth bantering between both Riku and Xemnas that he didn't even notice the figure that had slyly slithered behind him from out of darkest corner of the room.

"NO!" gasped Riku the moment he caught sight of the shadowy figure.

Too late. Axel didn't even have enough time to react. No time to defend himself.

Everything happened way too fast after that. So fast that it was hard to determine what really happened at that moment. There was only one thing for certain that happened, for the next thing they all knew, much to Riku's agony, the heir of Diamonds lay almost lifeless on the dirtied floor they stood on. Touched into an unconscious state by the hilt of Sephiroth's long blade.

* * *

"Hey, Small Fry! Wait up!" 

Roxas cringed.

He hated, he _despised_, that nickname oh so very much. He disliked it so much he'd have liked to throw a butcher's knife at who ever tried to cross him with that name.

The blonde was convinced. He definitely wasn't a 'fry'. He didn't sit on a rock and sizzle all day long. Sure, he _could_ be edible, but Roxas doubted that anyone would want to eat him…(Except Xemnas, that was. He was quite sure that bastard was a cannibal). The little nicknames like 'Small Fry' and 'Roxie' were for cute things. Roxas did _not_ think he was cute. Nor did he like being considered a 'thing', for that matter. Even if he _was_ cute (which he was), he would still refuse to believe it.

Roxas was Roxas, and he would always _be_ Roxas. He liked his name. He didn't need another. He already had two names, after all. What was the use of having three?

And another thing (Roxas was pretty dead set on making this known to everyone), the boy wasn't _that_ short for his age. He'd get tall…eventually…or if all else failed, he'd _make_ himself taller. Though, he was pretty damn set on getting taller by natural means—Sora had always been at least a millimeter taller than he was, and that was an aggravating memory. These days, Olette was the one to stoop a millimeter taller! It was as though his own deceased brother were still around haunting him through his close friends.

From a more logical perspective, however, it just seemed that puberty hadn't worked it magic on him just yet. That's what he hoped was the case, at least. He would rather die than live the life of a dwarf. He'd be a disgrace to his father! Would Cloud accept a dwarf for a son…?

_Like hell he would, _the boy thought wrinkling his nose as he quickened his pace.

It was apparent that Roxas didn't really want to talk to the guy who was straggling not far behind trying to frantically catch his attention. The boy didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. There was only one person in all Horizon's Rebirth who'd dare to call him 'Small Fry' and live to tell the tale. He even pursued screaming out the name several times more as he sped toward the younger blonde; a bright smile evident on his rugged face.

"Don't you have work, or something, Cid?" asked the boy, turning around at 180 degrees from his left to face his pursuer. His bold, sapphire eyes twitched slightly at the sight of the middle classman.

Ignoring the obvious annoyance in Roxas's voice, Cid continued smiling, "There's another strike! No work today, kid."

"_Another_ strike?" repeated the boy, eyes rolling. "Is that all you workers do all day long?"

"Naw, but yer right. They've been a lot of strikes goin' about lately," said the elder blonde, thoughtfully, "I reckon this'd be the six one in three weeks!"

Six strikes in three week was never a good sign. It was always bad for business, and it always seemed to stir up a lot of trouble for _all_ classes. Roxas had noticed the increasing number of unsatisfied middle classmen lately, but he didn't realize that there had already been six recorded strikes from six different company factories in the span of so short a time. There had been a lot of causalities that happened in the first two strikes he heard of. Workers who were out striking were, supposedly, mowed down by machine gun to disperse the crowds. Though, he had only heard of those stories in urban rumors, the news had never hit the papers so it probably wasn't true.

"You joining the strike then?" asked Roxas, returning his walk to a leisure-like pace. The boy didn't like small talk much, but was always more dissatisfied with silence between two people. It would help him pass time, too, as he wandered about aimlessly looking for that job opportunity to smack in the face. "Oh, and about that Leon guy…you said he lives down Sound Street?"

Despite not wanting to really meet the guy, it seemed Roxas's best chances at job searching lied with Leon—_who ever that was._

Tifa actually told him go find 'Leon' first thing in the morning in order to secure himself a job. The blonde had, of course, slept in that morning so 'first in the morning' didn't quite fit his current situation at present. Despite that, though, the waitress had been more than sure that Leon would be able to find him a job no matter how difficult the odds were. So the odds of him getting a job in the afternoon, even if Tifa had said to secure one in the morning, were still pretty high.

On a side note, Roxas had also found out that the two of them (Leon and Tifa) had also been acquainted at one point in time. Actually, the moment Roxas had mentioned Leon's name, the waitress could only stare at him in disbelief. It was like she couldn't believe the blonde knew anyone named 'Leon' (which was true, but that's aside the point). She literally rattled the boy under her intense gaze wanting to know exactly where he had picked up the name.

When she found out it was Cid's doing, however, she immediately sighed in relief and let him go on his way…

"Naaah, no strike for me, but Leon's the reason I been calling yer name like no tomorrow!" exclaimed the elder guy, "He's down in Dragon District, and I was just goin' over to meet 'im. The guy's heading a large event—and I mean _BIG_ event—down there…woo nelly! You're not gonna wanna miss it, Small Fry!"

"—It's _Roxas_," scowled the boy, glaring viciously at Cid who walked only a bit in front of him to lead the way.

"Hey, at least it's better than 'Shrimp'!"

Roxas twitched again. Yeah. Small Fry was definitely a better name.

Auspiciously enough, Dragon District wasn't far from the sector the two of them were strolling down now. Had Leon been down on Sound Street like Cid had first suggested, it would have taken them about half an hour to get there on foot or fifteen by automobile. The change of location had dramatically altered the amount of time they would waste by walking. At the rate they were going, it would only take about five minutes to get to where they wanted to go. This street they walked on, better known as Moogle Alley, actually led straight to their destination.

So whether or not Cid had come with Roxas, the boy would have probably ended up in Dragon District anyway. After all, the smell of grilled barbeque and the loud crackling of fireworks in the distance was enough to perk one's interest rather quickly. Many other people aside the two blondes were not walking along side them heading toward the festivities that were taking place in the Dragon District. It was a wonder how the boy hadn't heard about a festival.

"What's the occasion anyway?" he asked as he caught a first glimpse of colorfully dressed women in what looked like silk summer dresses. Each girl wore a splotch of heavy white make up all over the faces concealing any sort of blemish that pierced their seemingly perfect façade. Roxas felt his cheeks burn when a particularly pretty girl winked at him.

Cid shrugged, "How'm I s'posed to know? Leon's a crack-head."

_Like you…?_ Roxas bit his tongue to refrain from laughing and then proceeded to further ask: "So, you're telling me he's throwing this festival for not particular reason…?"

"Pro'lly."

The younger blonde frowned. He didn't quite think that was the reason. Leon, from what Tifa had told him, didn't sound like the type to throw festivals and parties without a reason. The walk went by fast. The next thing they knew, the two of them were walking under the large sign that bluntly plastered the words DRAGON DISTRICT upon it.

Roxas didn't even have enough time to look around at the enormous number of stalls and tents set up for the moment they set foot among the festivities a crowd of happy-go-lucky dancers and entertainers suddenly ambushed them and the other interested spectators that had followed. Each entertainer held that sort of happy face that would make one feel sick by the end of the day. There was not a single frown on any of their faces, and their happiness only made Roxas wanted to cry for them.

The boy knew he'd have to clean out his ears if he ever got out of the mass of people that had swarmed around him like bees to honey…The word 'welcome!' was definitely going to be added to his _words I hate _list. The theme song, 'Fields of Honor' that played in the background all around the fair was also going to be added to the _songs I hate_ list. He had liked it the first seven times through, but thirty-five times was just pushing it.

Head spinning, and feeling a wee bit too claustrophobic, the blonde boy dove passed the swarms of people in search of fresh air. He had taken note that in the last three minutes of being attacked he had lost sight of Cid, and figured that he wouldn't waste time looking for him. The old guy could fend for himself. Plus, he needed to find Leon. That was first priority. If Cid were to somehow get himself into trouble—Roxas shook his head: _No, I shouldn't think stupid stuff like that._

He quickly pushed that thought aside and continued to wander. After a while though, Roxas wasn't feeling so hot about wandering around with no sense of direction. He had been wandering around for what seemed like forever, skirting many crowds of people. There were so many people around, he was sure it would be impossible to find Leon without some guidance. It was at this time that he realized how crucial Cid could have been at this moment. The elder blonde probably even knew where his job ensure-r was! Even with knowing that, it would be a hopeless case to try and find his previous companion now. He was probably lost—probably even trapped—in the sea of bustling dragon-fan-people.

Roxas, wanting to take a break, spotted a bunch of wooden crates and boxes stacked neatly next to a purple tent glittered with golden stars as he passed by the 'Catch a Catfish' game stand. Oddly enough, the line for this attraction (what ever this odd, out of place, purple tent was) was nonexistent. No one seemed to be interested in: "Fortuneteller…?" he read, brows furrowing. "How does this fit with the Dragon Theme?" Not really wanting to question it, the boy merely seated himself on the nearest box-like crate.

He let out a light sigh of relief. His feet had begun to ache; sitting down was a great comfort.

"Oh-_ho_!" cried a rather sudden old, yet wise sort of voice from the entrance of the fortuneteller's tent.

Roxas uninterestedly glanced over in the direction of the tent entrance. He couldn't quite see the entrance from where he sat, but had a good gut feeling someone had just come out from within. If it was the fortuneteller-lady-guy-person-thing…the blonde had the urge to crawl away quietly. He had experience with crazy fortunetellers. They never knew when to give up! Even when you said 'no' they still persisted in telling you your future. They even expected some money for it! They were _always_ an aggravating bunch…

"What is it?" said another voice—a voice different from the first, a girl's voice. The lady had just come into Roxas's view as she peered from the entrance to the boy's direction. "A customer?"

She wore no fancy dress, or heavily painted make-up, but the blonde could easily tell that this short, black-haired woman was one of the entertainers. She was probably on break or something, he figured. Even without makeup, though, she was still very pretty (though not as pretty as Tifa—Hayner approved). Around her waist hung a rather large, heavy sword, one that Roxas couldn't help but make googily eyes at.

"Hello?" called the woman, her voice slightly unsure as she looked over at the boy, "Um…are you a customer?"

Roxas snapped out of his sword-loving fantasy and stared at the lady who was now walking toward him, "Oh yeah—I mean, no. I'm not a customer. I was just resting…"

"Oh…" the woman's almond-shaped eyes looked tentatively disappointed by his response. "You were wrong again, Merlin! He's not a customer either!"

The blonde blinked. _Merlin?_ He knew a Merlin. Not to mention, the Merlin _he_ knew was definitely the type of person who would start a fortune telling tent in the middle of a Dragon Festival. That old guy would probably even make his tent stand out above all the other black and red tents. Purple was always a flashy color. It _was_ the color of royalty after all. Why not add glittery stars, too? Roxas could only imagine what that old kook was thinking of.

"That's not it! I never said he was a 'customer' now did I, child?" answered the old, wise voice from the entrance of the tent. A voice most likely belonging to Merlin. In mere seconds, the old kook came hobbling around the other side of the tent and toward the two he had been addressing. "Oh-_ho_! So I _was_ right! You need to have a little more faith in me, Mulan." He turned immediately from the woman to the boy seated on the wooden box, "Roxas, nice to see you again."

Roxas, still slightly dazed by the unexpected meeting, could only nod his head and murmur, "Hi…"

"Oh, oh yes," continued the kook, fixing his rather large cone-like hat to stay situated on his head. "This is Mulan, an executive and co-administrator of this here festival!"

_Co-administrator…_ Roxas's mind trailed, still dazed, _…that's cool._

Mulan bit her lip feeling slightly flattered by Merlin's introduction, "I'm just the helper though…Leon did most of the work. All that planning…he's been stressed out for weeks over this."

Roxas nodded, thoughts still detached and floating around fragmented, _yeah…stressed out…That Leon sure can work—_ "Wait, Leon? As in, _the_ Leon?"

Merlin's face lit up to a wide grin, "Ah-ha! I knew it!"

What Merlin knew, however, Roxas would never know. He didn't he seem very interested in knowing what the kook was cooking up this time around either. His sapphire eyes were more intent on getting answers from this woman who actually _worked_ side-by-side with the dude _he's_ been looking for, for hours!

"Hm…I guess? There aren't any other Leons around are there?"

The boy shook his head viciously, obviously excited by his find. He had a gut feeling sitting next to an oddly out of place tent bearing the sign 'Fortuneteller' would get him somewhere! Now he could find Leon! Now he could get a job! Now he could beat Axel's ass! Everything was going to a happily-ever-after ending!

Roxas could almost piss himself. He was so excited.

"I've been looking for Leon!" he exclaimed, jumping up from his seat (ignoring the angered screams from his sore feet), "Can I see him? There's something important I need to talk to him about."

Mulan cocked her head to one side obviously thinking of what to say in response.

"Well… I don't know," she began, biting down on the tip of her thumb, "Like I said, he's been really stressed…"

"Let Roxas see him." stated the white-bearded old kook, once again readjusting his stubborn hat, "Leon's been expecting him."

The two stared confusedly back at the fortuneteller, not quite knowing whether to believe him or not. Roxas quite liked the idea of being back up by someone, but he wasn't quite sure if what Merlin was saying was the truth of the matter. The boy had always been skeptical about the old wise man's abilities. Supernatural things…were among few things the blonde didn't believe in.

"Are you sure this time?" asked the woman, eying Roxas with a hint of worry.

Merlin waved an old fist in the air, "Why wouldn't I be? I wouldn't bluff. Least of all, about Leon."

"You have a point," she admitted, nodding her head. Patting the sword at her side, she confidently pointed Roxas in the right direction, "Alright, follow me."

After saying this, she quickly dashed away from the purple tent and toward the main road. Roxas, who had not been ready to run at that speed yet, followed her into the street a second later.

"You'll have to keep up with me," she stated, surveying the crowd, "Can you run? Or do I have to hold your hand?"

The last comment wasn't supposed to be meant as an insult, and Roxas tried his best not to think of it that way. From what he had just witnessed, Mulan could literally run the mile with great ease. But despite her being fast, the boy wasn't at all intimidated. He was pretty fast himself… he didn't continually train every year just to be the slowest person around. Ever since he found out about this possible successor to Cloud, the blonde worked double time. He was pretty damn intent on not losing to anyone.

"No, I'm fine," he replied, stretching out his legs, and cracking his neck in preparation for the run.

She smiled kindly at him, "Okay, then let's go."

With that said, the two of them disappeared into the sea of people leaving the old kook, Merlin, to watch from a far in gleeful amusement…

Leon's place wasn't too far off from Merlin's tent, but there were a _lot_ of turns and twists in their route that even Roxas (who was currently running the route) couldn't decipher exactly where he was in the District. All the festivities and newly opened tents had practically revamped the entire district! Everywhere they went, the boy saw the same black and red tents, and the same kinds of entertainers and musicians. Cid had not been bluffing. This was a _really _big event.

Just as the blonde began to think they were just running around in circles, Mulan finally came to an excruciatingly abrupt stop. Roxas whammed right into her back, sliding to the floor and panting to catch his breath. He took the time to give a brief look around the 'new' area, slightly hopeful this sector of the district was different from the previous one… It wasn't. The same black and red tents were still stationed all around. It still looked the same. Even the 'Fields of Honor' theme song was still playing in the background.

Roxas was disappointed. _How lame…_

"Ehem…Leon should be in that—" she pointed at the black tent designed with the logo of a large silver dragon (it happened to a tent that he hadn't realized was there). "—tent over there. Just go inside, I'll wait for you here."

The blonde nodded mutely, leaving Mulan's side and heading over to the tent she had just specified. Roxas had to admit: the dragon logo looked pretty wicked. He wondered why all the other tents didn't look that flashy. It would certainly make the Dragon theme more Dragon-like. And not to mention…the District would actually live up to its name.

Feeling a slight bit nervous, he stopped just before the entrance of the tent. His deep blue eyes stared hesitantly at the open flaps that just narrowly divided the outside world from the inside. The unnerving feeling of a businessman having to unexpectedly meet his boss seemed to creep into Roxas's chest. Was Leon really expecting him? Could he really give him a job…? Was this all some sort of bad joke? Was he being led on? So many questions he knew would be answered in the moment he'd walk through. Probably answers to some questions he didn't really want to find out about would be answered as well… That, for the most part, was what scared him.

He took a breath. Straightened his posture. Exhaled and took in another breath. When he finally gathered enough courage, he stepped in, face looking straight in front of him. There was no turning back. He'd get that job…he'd win the Struggle…He'd laugh at Axel in the face…_yeah…_ It was all worth it.

Letting the flaps of the entrance fall behind him, Roxas found himself standing in a rather cozy little place surrounded by dozens and dozens of stuff animals and pillows. The place, from his perspective, looked too fluffy and gay-like for someone who was the administrator of the Dragon Festival and was even a highly acclaimed 'celebrity' according to both Tifa and Cid.

At the center of all the fluff, however, sat a black desk baring the same mark of the silver dragon that he had just seen outside. And sitting at the desk, furiously scribbling something on a ¼ notepad was—Roxas guessed—the most talked about Leon. The boy's ticket to entering the Struggle and gaining money was sitting before him now. It felt like a surreal reality…he couldn't quite explain it. The blonde's future rested heavily on this man's shoulders and he probably didn't realize it! This brunette of a man, with his leather jacket (of fluff), and odd cut across his face was Roxas ticket to ultimate glory against the Families that had betrayed him.

"Uhh…Excuse me?" he called out, inching a little away from the doorway. "I…um…"

The man tore his gaze away from his feverish scribbling to look up at the boy in his midst. His hazel eyes simply looked at Roxas for a long moment, no sign of emotion planted on his gaunt face, and then looked back down at his paper. Strangely enough, though, Leon didn't take up his pen again and finish his incomplete sentence. His eyes were glued to the words 'context of speaking' as he tapped the desk, mind wandering in deep concentration.

"Tifa… said you'd be coming…" said Leon, head facing his paper, "I didn't believe her at first. I guess I'm forced to, now." Those words seemed somewhat detached; they didn't seem to be aimed at anyone but himself. Finally, he looked up again as if to take in the image of Roxas once more. He finally addressed the blonde, "Please, come in. We have a lot to talk about, Sora. If I had only known you were alive I would have contacted you sooner—"

"Hold up," gapped Roxas, taking a few more steps away from the door, "What did you just call me?"

Leon didn't shrug in annoyance at having to repeat himself. The man looked as if he had been expecting that sort of reaction from the other. "I called you Sora." He stated again, his gaze never wavering.

Sweat seemed to trickle along the sides of the boy's face, "That's not my name."

"…It was, once." Muttered Leon, taking up his pen to scribble the last bit of his sentence, "What are you called now?"

"My name is _not_ Sora. It never _was_ Sora." He interjected, face turning slightly sour, "The name's Roxas. It _always_ was Roxas."

At this, the man put down his pen, got up and walked over to the entrance of the tent to make sure it was closed tightly. He didn't begin again until he had made sure the place was pretty safe for some important private talk.

"Fine, but it _was_ your brother's name, wasn't it?"

The blonde couldn't lie, "Y-yes." He couldn't find any other words to add.

"The Sora Twins…Born on the same day and given the same name," narrated the other pacing about the fluffy, purple room. "Your parents were pretty lazy about names, at the time. I was there, you know. I didn't realize you made up another name for yourself."

This information absolutely startled Roxas.

Leon was…there? This man knew his family? Not to mention, when the fuck was the last time he heard the title 'Sora Twins' in a sentence? That name had been the title given to both Sora _and _Roxas in reference to the two equal heirs of Hearts name. The blonde remembered his mother, Aerith, explain to her boys that their eyes reminded her of the sky…so blue, so pristine… And that that was the reason why she gave them that name. She couldn't quite decide to whom should she give such a _special_ name, so she decided to give it to them both. She figured they could share one.

Despite her reasoning, however, Roxas had always hated that title from the very beginning. He didn't have much taste for the name 'Sora'. He liked being independent. He wanted to have his own name that people could call him by. He didn't want to be in Sora's shadow the whole time. So what if Sora was older by a few minutes? He had a right to his own name, and his own title!

His father seemed to be the only one who understood his feelings back then. It had actually been Cloud that invented the name 'Roxas' for him. If Sora had been Mama's boy, Roxas was definitely Papa's. The boy had always admired his father, which was why he was quite skeptical of Cloud being 'lazy' like Leon had said.

"Why are you so sure I'm who you say I am?"

The man pressed two fingers to his forehead, gently fingering at the scar that cut across the bridge of his nose. "You look like Cloud," replied the man shrugging his shoulders, "…I can see him through you."

Roxas looked at his feet, feeling a little bit remorseful at the thought of his deceased father.

"And also…Tifa," he continued, scratching the back of his head, "She told me it was you."

"S-She knew…?" gapped the boy, mouth dropping, "How? She never acts like—!"

"Why do you think she treats you and your buddies to free meals all the time?"

The man had a point. Roxas had never quite thought about that being a general reason. He had merely thought the waitress liked them above all the other costumers that came by. They helped her out a lot. They only deserved a free meal in return, right? Wrong. They didn't deserve anything. The boy's whole view of the situation seemed to shift at Leon's words. Someone as pretty and clever as Tifa, no matter how nice they were, wouldn't offer anyone a free meal. Free meals were too hard to come by these days. Feeding peasants was, at times, considered an offense to the law! He had been putting the woman in danger this whole time…without really meaning to.

"I just…" Roxas sputtered, voice faltering.

Crossing his arms, Leon walked over to his desk and began sorting a few things out.

"I hear…Tifa's going to sponsor you for the tournament?"

"Y-Yeah." The blonde was carefully watching the other clean off his desk.

Leon looked up, "That woman won't sponsor anyone unless she _knows_ the kid's a winner. You must be a real ticket. Tifa was your old man's sponsor too, and I'm sure you know how well _he_ did in the Struggle matches."

At this, Roxas rushed over to Leon's desk, banging both hands against its neat surface, his face disoriented and lost. "She was Cloud's _fucking _sponsor!"

An odd sort of grin found its way upon Leon's emotionless face. Woo. It was the man's first new facial expression since the moment Roxas laid eyes on him. The blonde stared up at that grin, furrowing his brows trying to figure out what was going through this man's head. It wasn't your usual grin. He was sure of that.

"…No…" he murmured, more to himself than to the one who gazing back at, "…_I_ was his fucking sponsor."

Roxas blinked, "_You_ were his sponsor?"

Leon shook his head. "No, Tifa was his sponsor."

The boy ruffled his hair in aggravation. What the _hell_? Was this man being stupid with him, and just trying to make him loose his mind? Roxas was pretty sure he had lost his mind the moment he set foot into this tent. All the new information and hidden secrets about Tifa were just too much for him to take. Now, it seemed, Leon was trying to confuse him even more!

"Then what were _you?_" asked Roxas, again. "If Tifa was his sponsor, then how can you be his sponsor too—?"

A shade of pink seemed to crawl to the surface of the older man's face. Woo. Strike two. A second expression. Roxas was beginning to keep track.

"I didn't say 'sponsor' per say," mumbled Leon, rubbing his neck.

Roxas pointed a finger accusingly, "Yes you did! You said 'I was his fucking sponsor'!"

Leon pressed a hand to his face obviously humiliated by something, "…That's right. I said '_fucking _sponsor'."

The boy blinked. "…You're not making any sense."

"…Never mind."

It seemed that there were just some things…Roxas would never learn to understand.

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That's it for this chapter... Well at least we know where Roxas gets his gayness from :3! It runs through the blood, I suppose. 

Reviews...? x3

Next Chapter: Leon reveals to Roxas his plans...to sabatoge the Families? Xemnas...has his way with Axel. Severe torture to be expected in the next chapter...


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary:** Axel's an ignorant aristocratic boy from one of the Four Families of Horizon's End (Rebirth, it was later renamed), and Roxas is a poor kid out on the streets...but was he always peasant?And why does he havesuch a strange grudge against the Families? Alternate Universe: AnAkuRoku fic. Based in a Victorian Era twisted with a modern-day sort of setting.

**Author's Note: **Okay... you all have the right to throw apples at me for my lack of updating. I've actually had this chapter written... I just didn't have time to up it. Forgive me! I shall be more careful. I promise to update more frequently. My life's been pretty hectic lately. I've been having to write for my school's competition... so my horrible, nonexistent skill have been poured into that lately. Sorry if this chapter is shorter than all the other's, but I'm still writing! I won't give up on this fic! I can't wait to write up the next chapter... hehe... Please enjoy this.

**Side Note:** Thanks again for all your reviews:) They keep my spirits up. Also... there might be some content unsuitable for youngsters in this chapter. So if you fall under that category... I suggest to stray from reading Axel's portion of this fic! Haha. It isn't _that_ bad...but it's something. P**

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Chapter Four: Let the Training Commence

Roxas had been sitting on one of the many fluffy, purple pillows for what seemed like a half an hour before any sort of job-topic came up. The circular room the Leon's special tent housed felt rather cozy despite all the fluffiness about him. The guy, at first, didn't seem like much of a talker, but on further inspection, it seemed all this brunette did _was_ talk for a living. The blonde didn't really mind the heavy banter much. Leon's talk of the past was actually a great comfort to him, and the fact that the guy knew a lot about his family forced him to ask dozens of questions. Questions about what his parents were like before he was born, how his parents first met, and how he, Sora, and Naminé had acted when they were younger—and when they were still alive. The boy urgently wanted to be (re)told these things, simply, to remind him that he had really come from an aristocratic family at one point in time. The life he was now living had given him many doubts about his previous life in the Heart Manor. There were times when he'd think that his past was simply made up. That his mind was just playing games with his sense of reality. At times, he almost wished those horrible memories really weren't true.

As Leon spoke to him, however, all negativity just seemed to drain from his mind and out his ears. In place of the sad memories, the older man managed to pour in many of the happy memories Roxas had quite literally almost forgotten about. The boy had dwelled too long upon the fact that his entire family had passed away – No, had been _murdered_ – that he had forgotten all the sweet times he had as a child out in his back garden, playing Struggle with Sora and Naminé. He had even forgotten how welcoming his Father's embrace was, as was his Mother's gentle smile.

He could almost cry by the way the brunette narrated all of the good times they had way back when. The blonde could only, occasionally, nod and laugh then exclaim something like, "Oh! I remember that!" or "No way…Since when?" Never in all his life since his brother's execution, had Roxas felt so alive and safe before. Leon knew who he was. He had no reason to hide his identity or be ashamed. Everything was fine. He could finally smile without lying. Laugh without stalling. He could temporarily put down the heavy weights that he carried with him everywhere and take a short break.

After what seemed like the seventh round of laughter since they sat down and started 'catching up on things', there was a brief pause. Roxas remained silent only gazing back at Leon, thoughtfully, wondering his next story would be. There were so many things he didn't know about his family—about his Father, in general. Like, for instance, the fact that Cloud had attempted to get a tattoo on the inside of his left thigh, but chickened out half way through. He supposedly, only had half a heart tattooed there, but didn't even bother to have it surgically removed. The boy thought this was hilarious information, but refused to ask how Leon knew every detail of the tattoo's shapes and curves that he could easily draw it out for him on his ¼ notepad.

A grin still evident on the brunette's face after a nice hearty laugh, Leon took the time to stare at Roxas before saying: "You talk a lot like your Father."

"Really?" Roxas appeared rather flattered by the remark.

"Yeah. You both have that EMO sense about you," he scoffed back, scratching the scar on the bridge of his nose with his gloved hand.

Roxas frowned, attempting to defend himself before Leon raised his hand to stop him.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way," said he, shrugging, "It almost makes me feel…well, relieved. Talking to you, I mean. It reminds me of your old man, that's all." At this, he planted a firm hand on the boy's head and smiled, "So, _Roxas_, how about we get straight to business?"

In reaction to the gentle pat on the head, Roxas felt a slight tinge reach his pale cheeks. He felt like a child again, and oddly enough, the blonde liked the feeling. Cloud used to pat him on the head in the same manner, and he suspected Leon was only trying to recreate that moment for him. He was thankful for it.

"Sounds good," he mumbled, moving out from under Leon's hand. "Tifa said you could get me a job. I'll take any job, really. Any you can find me. I just _need_ to enter that tournament."

Leon nodded. "I can get you a job, easy. I already have a perfect job in mind…it's the most high-paying, laid back job I can get with my connections. But…if you decide to take this job, I'll be forced to make you take up this offer."

"Offer?"

Leon stood up from where he had been seated and helped Roxas up before walking briskly over to his desk to take a seat there. Confused, and somewhat reluctant, the blonde followed suit, standing in front of the older man's desk just as an employer would when meeting his boss for the first time.

Taking a pen and his ¼ notepad, the brunette man feverishly began scribbling some rather illegible notes before he continued. He didn't look up again until he had filled up about twenty-four lines of sloppy scribbles. The man, as far as the boy could tell, had finally gotten off his reminiscing mode and into his full fledge business mode.

The man was no longer speaking to the boy on friendly terms. Private lives were expected to be totally separate from the business life. They were not to get in the way. Favoritism, no matter how much Roxas resembled Cloud, could not win him a job… he'd have to earn it.

"Have you thought about it?" asked the brunette, tapping the pen lightly on the desk.

The boy furrowed his brows, "Thought about what?"

"The offer."

Roxas further furrowed his brows, "What offer?"

Leon blinked, "Oh—right." He scratched the back of his head and faked a rough cough before continuing, "How far would you go to enter that tournament? And how do you feel about the Families—" the man paused mid-sentence, looking obviously troubled by what he was daring himself to say next. He had to force it out of him; it actually came out in a sort of harsh scowl: "—what I'm meaning to say is… well, how do you feel about Xemnas?"

The blonde growled lowly at the mention of the name. Not wanting to answer the question in alphanumeric order, Roxas chose to answer the more pressing question first: _Xemnas_. Leon wasn't all too surprised by the strange contortion of the blonde's once untainted, childish face. His expression was terrifying…one that Leon probably _never_ saw of Cloud's face. It amazed him, actually. This boy was damaged to the point where even the elder man could not even hope to fathom.

"I'll kill him," stated the blonde, grinding his teeth in almost a mad-like manner, "I _will_ be the one to kill him. I promised Sora I would."

The brunette nodded, "And what of the Families?"

"I don't give a damn about them," snarled the boy, sapphire eyes flashing.

The paper Leon had been furiously scribbling on was quickly torn from the notepad and into the palm of his hand. The man appeared completely convinced by Roxas's cold remarks, and merely surveyed the paper with more care than he probably would have if the blonde had said anything differently.

"I'm glad we're on the same page," replied the businessman, handing the paper over to the boy. Roxas accepted the flimsy thing without much of a second thought and then began skimming through it. "It's an informal contract." He paused, waiting for Roxas to finish reading it. "We need your help. A Revolution is coming, Roxas. You're the key we've all been waiting for."

"The 'Revolution'?" echoed the other, staring back at the paper, "You want me to infiltrate the Families from the inside to weaken the…_huh?_ That's crazy!" The boy had read that last bit of information straight off the paper.

"Xemnas is plotting. I've heard most his plans. We—everyone in the city—wants that man dead," explained the man, face grim, "He's destroying the city little by little, and needs to be stopped. _You_ are the only one who can make all our plans pull together. You want to kill the guy yourself, right? Here's your chance."

It was hard to imagine that the Leon the boy had been easily chatting with, just moments before on those girly little pillow cases, was the Leon he was speaking with now. Such an oddly profound glare could be seen hidden behind his calm chestnut eyes. Every word he spoke was crisp and serious, not at all like the easy, laid back banter he had when he narrated tales of Cloud and the like. At times, Roxas found himself wincing at the harsh tone in the brunette's voice. So much command and leadership could be recognized in his voice that the blonde couldn't help but inwardly admire him.

"…Why only me?" he hesitated, eyeing the large 'X' at the bottom of the contract, which begged to be signed.

"You're originally from the Families, and I _know_ how strong you are," stated the man, lying his chin on his propped hands. "You're Cloud's son. You're the _real_ successor to his name, and from what Tifa's told me… you're the strongest person in this city. She even said you could beat me blindfolded!"

"So, you trust Tifa's word," murmured the boy. His sapphire orbs were still glued to the paper. "What am I supposed to do, exactly?"

"Exactly what it says on the paper. Infiltrate. By mean of gaining their trust."

Sapphire eyes tore away from the paper, "So you want me to back stab them when they're not looking…? There's no way one person—no way _I_ could pull this off!"

Leon stood up from his seat and began pacing a bit again. "We'll see how it goes once you enter the Tournament. You…still want to enter, correct?"

Roxas nodded, "Yeah."

"How confident are you in winning?"

"Confident enough to make it to the final round."

Leon raised a brow, "Can you beat Axel?"

"Yes."

"How sure are you?"

"100."

There didn't seem to be any hint of hesitation or worry in Roxas's voice or features. The way the blonde carried himself made it look like he thought the possible successor to Cloud's name—the _fake_—was nothing. Either he was _really_ good at over-boasting his abilities, or he truly believed he could leave the heir of Diamonds in the dust. Truth be told, though, the boy had never actually seen Axel fight. Actually, he didn't even know what Axel looked like! An over determined mind was what seemed to make him say such far fetched things. He was dead set on beating Axel. He would never accept himself if he didn't. That teenaged brat, who ever he was, was stealing the title that _he_ had always dreamed of. There's _no_ way he'd let that happen.

Despite all those minor details, Leon was quite taken by his spirits. Clearing his throat and scratching the back of his head, he took the paper from the boy's loose grasp. He ignored the confused look the blonde gave him, and stored the paper away for later use. He _would_ be using it later. It was still unsigned after all. The brunette was fairly certain this fifteen-year-old would ask for the paper some time later: to sign it. The confidence in his voice and his dire hate for Xemnas practically assured it.

"If you beat Axel…You will sign that paper," said the older man, regarding the boy directly this time, "I will look for an appropriate job for you until you beat him... or loose to him."

"I won't loose—Hey, hold up, _until_ I beat him…?" interjected the blonde; hands planted on the desk's smooth surface once more, "I need a job to get _into_ the tournament! This isn't for after, I need one _now!_"

Leon eyed Roxas a bit and put his left hand under his chin. The man was well aware of the Struggle requirements. They were simple requirements, but many people (including this brunette) thought they were down right stupid. Sure, the regulations were just trying to make sure that no freeloaders won prize money, but it just seemed like a very unimportant thing to include in a tournament of this sort. As long as you had a job and a sponsor, you could enter. There was no entry fee or other payment if you won or lost. It was meant to be a fun event…that secretly promoted getting jobs! It was in these abstract sorts of ways that the Families/government was trying to promote a working class.

"I'm going to forge you an temporary job contract to get in. You won't be doing any busy jobs right now. _You_ have to focus on training," explained Leon. Lazily, he waved his hand in the air and slumped back down into the seat in front of his desk to finish his explanation, "'Cause after the tournament, the job you're going to get is going to be as close as it gets to mingling among the Families. It will take time to find such a job, but it'll put you in closer proximity with your _favorite _person. Not too close, though, I'm pretty sure he'll be able to recognize you at first glance…"

"W-wait, I didn't even agree to help out—!"

The older man shot back a glare, "Okay, then, _are_ you going to help protect our city or not? Rather, are you going to let Xemnas live through this? After what he did to you _and_ your family?"

Okay, that was reworded differently. Roxas was pretty sure Leon did that on purpose. The brunette had a way with words; he could twist them, coil them, and almost make it impossible for one to turn around and say a simple 'yes' or 'no'. It was a given, the blonde truly wanted to help out the city his father loved so dearly…but his desire for revenge far exceeded simply helping people out. He would _not_ let Xemnas live through this. _Never_. That wretched man had quite literally flipped his life around for the worst. He was the one who ordered —. He was the one who betrayed —. He was the very one…who —. It was _him_. Everything was _his_ fault.

How could the blonde…not want to swear revenge?

All the memories that he had tried so hard to suppress suddenly collapse on top of him at that very moment. The images…returned once more. Blood, fire, and screams. They whirled through his brain deliriously. What had been reported, as a simple 'fire', was actually the annihilation of his entire family…! Roxas had tried his best to keep the secret to himself; he had tried to forget all about it. He tried so hard to live in the present: to stay and hang out with Hayner, Pence, and Olette—to live a new life!

But…it seemed destiny had its own plans for him. His past would never leave him. No matter how much he tried, it wasn't enough. It was never enough to hold back the memories that lived in his blood. And now, Leon made it clear that he could not simply ignore that pang in his heart. He would have to face it one day. And that one-day felt a_ lot_ closer than he and previously thought.

"I—I…" Roxas drooped his head to his chest. His blue eyes wandered around for some sort of answer, trying to suppress the water that threatened to leak. In a low murmur, he tried to answer: "I…I'll—"

The brunette surveyed the boy a moment, his glare lessening considerably out of pure sympathy. Leon knew exactly what had just gone through the blonde's mind the moment he brought up the topic. Seeing the look on Roxas's face made the man feel somewhat guilty. In actuality, though, the man was not looking at the present Roxas that stood before him—he believed (or tried to, anyways) that it was Cloud that stood in front of him. He could see the boy's father right through him. It was painful for him to think otherwise, and it was twice as painful to see such a sad expression where a smile was supposed to be.

"Beat Axel. That's all you need to worry about right now," said the brunette, scratching his head. He tried swatting away the images of the ex-leader of Hearts as he continued; "We'll discuss things after the tournament… Once that's done, you'll get your _official_ job, okay?"

Roxas looked up at Leon, a rather surprised expression plastered on his pale face. He wasn't quite expecting the sense of pity the brunette was sending him now, but he had to admit that he was very appreciative of it. He smiled weakly as best he could, to compensate the forced smile on the other's usually serious face.

"Thanks, Leon."

* * *

_Darkness_… That's one way to describe the night sky when the sun has already sunken behind the distant valley mountains. _Stillness…_ A word sometimes used to describe a family of young children soundly dreaming their way to a wonderful distant land far away. _Warmth…_ Another such word used to describe the embrace of a parent or a lover. All three words are beautiful in nature. All three words meant to bring joy and happiness to all that see, feel, and taste each sensation…

That is… unless you _twist_ them.

Ironic how Axel should wake up in completely _darkness_ with no sense of direction—with no ability to move either of his arms or legs. Ironic how the _stillness_ of the torture chamber he was now seated and strapped into held the eerie sensation of death that almost threatened to choke him. Ironic how the humidity, the _warmth_, of the room seemed to increase with great rapidity the more the redhead managed to come to his senses. Sweat trickling down the sides of his thin face the teen couldn't even stifle his own moan as a sense of subdued haziness flooded over him in exchange for his grogginess.

The stillness was broken.

"Awake now, are you?" asked a panting voice, one Axel identified to belong to Xemnas. Not only was he able to identify who it was, but he also realized how close proximity the man was to him. He was probably standing right in front of where he sat just only a few heads lower than his level—_wait…he's on the floor?_ "I was wondering when you'd…come to."

Axel frowned. There was an inclining pain in the back of his neck that was beginning to annoy him. He knew _very_ well where it was from. "What the hell are y-you trying to pull?" scowled the boy, surprised at how weak his voice sounded through his ears. "You knocked me out and now—_d-dammit!_"

The teen felt his tightly restrained body suddenly jerked forward in response to the 'something', which had just occurred beneath him. Although blindfolded, the redhead knew exactly what was going on. It had taken him a few blank moments to realize _exactly_ what sort of activity Xemnas had been conducting, but the moment he realized what it was, Axel felt completely disgusted. He had to refrain from puking what little food he had eaten for lunch earlier that day…

A shiver of ill pleasure trilled mercilessly up his spine as he, once again, felt the warmth and wetness work between his oddly widespread legs. Axel bit his tongue, hard, trying his best to suppress the urge to release that satisfying groan that seemed only a breath away from leaving his lips. Xemnas was at work again…and the redhead did _not_ want the man to have his way with him, no matter how pleasant the feeling happened to be.

"_Aahh—_G-get away from me…" he grimaced, attempting to sit upright. He managed to squirm himself into a more comfortable position, but that only seemed to encourage the silver haired Master to continue let his tongue continue its 'work'. Xemnas quite easily positioned himself at a kneeling position closer to the other, his pale hands stroking the insides of Axel's (apparently) bare thighs. "I-I said…get _off_!"

At this, Axel furiously kicked at the man violating him with no sense of direction whatsoever. He was quite thankful his legs weren't strapped down. Being blindfolded with wrists strapped tightly to the sides of an uncomfortable metal chair put him at a rather large disadvantage against his opponent as it was. Even though he could not see, he _did_ manage to kick Xemnas right in the chest, which in turn, caused the elder man to stumble backwards—a fair bit away him.

It took bit of time to regain himself, but when he did, the teen completely exploded, "W-what the _hell_ do you think you're doing to me? Perverted _bastard_!" Axel swallowed to soothe his dry throat before continuing, "You said you wanted to _talk_. And _what_? I find myself not only tied down, but being _molested_—!"

"Oh? Lying to your victims, are we Xemnas?" interrupted a voice that was most definitely Sephiroth's. "Doesn't sound like you at all…" His deep voice suddenly trailed off into a low rumble of laughter.

_Victims…? _Axel winced. He didn't quite like the ring to that, and to top things off, the laughter was far too eerie for comfort. As much as he would have liked to leave the room at that moment, the teen was much more concerned with the pants (_his_ pants) that were subsequently dangling at his ankles. He had realized they were there the moment he pushed the head of Spades away from him. An inclining urge to pull his pants up far exceeded his will to rush out and leave these psychotic freaks in the dust. Thankfully enough, the teen wasn't completely naked like he had first thought when the silver-haired man touched him. He was actually both surprised and relieved to find that he could still feel his loose shirt clinging to his sweaty torso.

There was a bit of rustling coming from the direction Axel had just pushed Xemnas toward. The redhead surmised that the man had probably gotten to his feet since hearing the sound of boots upon cement. After that though, he wasn't quite sure what that wretched man did. His hearing could only reveal so much. _If only I could take off this damn blindfolds_…!

"I don't lie, Sephiroth," scoffed the golden-eyed man, dusting off his black coat mild-mannerly. "And yes, we are going to have our _talk,_ Axel. I only thought that, _perhaps_, you might enjoy a bit of fun on the side—"

Axel struggled in his chair, trying his hardest to lunge himself in Xemnas's direction and pummel him with various different blows he had been secretly saving, specifically, for the Struggle Tournament. "_F-Fun_? Are you _mad_? You could be thrown in prison for—for—for trying to seduce another man—for trying to _effing_ fuck me! This was your final mistake. Once I get out of here, you'll be through."

There was a brief, yet awkward silence that lingered after that statement.

All the nobility in Horizon's Rebirth knew homosexuality was completely looked down upon during this day and age. The Noble families, including the three major Families themselves, considered it to be a peasant thing. Something grotesque. Something that only one from a lower class was permitted to do. It was against their code and _law_…especially for an older man to rape a younger boy. Those who chose to ignore these rules could, and would, face a lifetime behind bars depending on the severity of the 'damage' inflicted. Those who were let off and freed weren't any luckier than the ones who were in prison for life, however. Their reputations would be affected severely… so severe, in fact, that they would have no chance to redeem themselves. It would be most likely that one would drop in rank among the nobles, or in some cases, fall down a class or two. It was a horrible disgrace for anyone with a _name_ to live up to.

Throat parched and face red, Axel waited for some sort of reply from either of the men standing about him. No immediate reply came; instead, the reverberating footsteps from someone's boots could be heard walking toward where he sat. The teen caught his breath the moment he felt the familiar hands of the Head of Spades, once again, caressing his face. Long fingers fingered at the redhead's soft lips and strung their way through his red mane.

Axel swallowed slowly, gritting his teeth as he felt the other's warm breath against the back of his neck. How he hoped the man would attempt to touch his lips again so he could bite the thing clear off his hand. No one… _No one messes with me, _his inner self growled fiercely in the back of his mind. Xemnas was only toying with him, and he _hated_ being made a fool.

"You think so…?" slurred Xemnas in a whisper, flicking his tongue lazily at the lobe of Axel's ear. "Who do you think _owns_ all the prisons, Axel? Who do you think is the leader of the Disciplinary Committee of the city? Or have you already forgotten…?"

The redhead jerked his head away from Xemnas growling fiercely at this rediscovery. He had completely forgotten whose facility this prison belonged to. Sure, the silver-haired pervert of a man had a terrible reputation dangling from his shoulders, but despite that, no one could touch him. Everyone was much too afraid to even attempt it. It was the reason why neither Xigbar nor Luxord, or much less anyone else, questioned what that man did. He had _unseen_ connections. He knew ways to corner people…to eradicate them without even a slightest shifty look his way. Axel had heard many rumors about this side of the Spades…but he never really paid much attention to it. He never thought he'd have to fight with it up close and personal.

"What do you want?" he scathed, shifting his body as far away as it could get from Xemnas's moistened breath.

"…I hear from various sources that you're Cloud's so-called successor," stated the man, nuzzling his face affectionately against the teen's craned neck, "Is this true, Mr. Struggle Master?"

"W-what of it?" Axel snapped, trying to ignore the entrancing sliver of pleasure that seemed to sink in his stomach as Xemnas ran kisses along his expose skin.

"I can ruin you, you know…"

Axel furrowed his brow, feeling his lower extremities churn with a rather strange sort of arousal. "Just get to the _damn_ point!"

At seeing such (unwanted) excitement on Axel's part, Xemnas chuckled lightly, "Patience, boy."

Gingerly, he reached out with a hand took a rather firm hold around the redhead's partially erected member. Licking his lips, he began to stroke up and down watching intently for the other's reaction. The redhead's response was returned in several incoherent curses and gasps—his heated body wasn't quite ready to feel the freezing temperature of the other's hands. This made Xemnas grin with ultimate delight, and further encouraged him to move a little faster.

"I just want your loyalty to me," he explained, hand beginning to pump the more he watched Axel squirm in his chair. "When you take your father's place… You are to give me _all_ of your power...understand?"

Axel's head lulled onto his heaving chest and he began to sink deeper and deeper into the chair was strapped into. He panted heavily with every movement Xemnas's hands made against him. He was shaking and panting so much that he found it hard to reply: "_N-no_…" He managed to utter it between a moan.

Unsatisfied with that answer, the silver-haired interrogator squeezed even tighter around Axel causing the teen to gasp and grit his teeth. "Are you _sure_ about that…?"

Weakly, the redhead lifted his head looking in the direction where he believed Xemnas stood. "I _won't_ give…in to you."

Xemnas narrowed his eyes, quickly releasing Axel from his grasped to leave him hanging on the edge of his climax. It was a horrible feeling to be left on, but the redhead had to admit he preferred it to getting his best pants forever ruined. As the teen took this time to slowly regain his composure, the Leader of the Spades stalked toward an unknown section of the room. After a bit of whispering and mumbling between himself and Sephiroth, he returned not long after that with something clutched in both his right and left hands.

Without any sort of warning, the silver-haired interrogator tore the blindfolds off the teen and threw the black cloth onto the dirtied floor. The sudden burst of light was enough to make Axel shout in surprise. The light not only hurt his eyes, but it also seemed to make him dizzy for a while. Emerald eyes adjusting to what little light there really was in the damp torture chamber, the first thing he spotted was not Xemnas. It was the items that Xemnas was leisurely playing with between his fingers…

In his left hand happened to be an _excruciatingly_ large injection, one that made his eyes grow as round as saucers. In his right hand, upon tearing his gaze away from the shot, happened to be a strange device that Axel had never seen before in his entire existence.

"I want you to see this," said Xemnas, mouth curling into a wry grin. He held up the device in his right hand so that his spectator could get a closer look at it, "Know what it is?"

Axel eyed the device warily, knowing very well that whatever it was wasn't going to be good. It looked harmless, really. From what the redhead could see, the thing was nothing but a box-like thing with two strange looking metal rods sticking out of the top of it. Despite its appearance, however, he knew better than that. Xemnas was definitely planning to do something with that thing, and he had a bad feeling it was going to hurt.

"It's an electrocution device," answered Sephiroth's voice, finally stepping out into the light to let Axel have a good look at him.

Axel glared fiercely at the long, silver haired freak partner of the man who had just tried to seduce him. What was up with all these guys with silver hair anyway…? Was it a new trend or something? Mark of the Spades, perhaps? Whatever the reason was, the redhead was still pretty pissed at the guy. It had been this silver-haired person who had knocked him out in the first place, after all. He had good reason to want to tear him to shreds.

"Come, come, Sephiroth… I wanted him to _guess_ what it was. Why, you've spoiled all the fun…!" interjected the other silver-haired man, looking slightly disappointed and amused at the same time. He then turned to look over at Axel, yellow eyes piercing through those of emerald, "Do you still refuse?"

Axel grit his teeth, "What do _you_ think?"

Xemnas shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. Sephiroth, on the other hand, smirked, crossing his arms. The man seemed pleased by the redhead's stubbornness; whether it was because he wanted to play executioner now, or because he admired Axel's blank-minded courage…one could only speculate. He took the black device from his master and flipped the hidden switch at the bottom of the block-thing. The instant he turned it on, light sparks could easily be seen whizzing from the two metal rods into the dark premises of the room.

One of the few stray sparks, unfortunately, found its way onto Axel's bare thigh immediately singeing what little leg hairs he had there. He squirmed and bit his tongue even before the thing landed on him. He couldn't get away; all he could do was sit there and watch as it fell there. It even left a rather grotesque-looking purple bruise in its wake. If a spark could cause _that_ kind of mark on a person's skin…the teen figured that the voltage far above what he considered to be humane. Axel's definition of humane was more of the side of inhumane than anything else…so this was pretty bad.

"You didn't scream," sneered Sephiroth, somewhat impressed.

Axel wanted to retort, 'it would take more than that to make me scream', but decided against it. That would only encourage an even worse fate than he was already predicting. Instead, he decided ignore the comment altogether. "Why should _I_ give _you_ my position, anyway?" he addressed Xemnas, "Marluxia's the heir of Clovers. Why not take—?"

"Do you think I'd steal power from men _below_ me?"

The redhead frowned; he had always thought the powers between each Family were split equally among each other. He had never thought Spades more powerful than Clovers…nor the Diamonds being the most powerful of the three. Xigbar never seemed much of a capable ruler; at least that's what he believed from what he had observed over the years. According to Xemnas, however, it would seem he observed incorrectly…

"Why are you asking me then? Why not the old geezer? It's _his_ power you want, right? Why not threaten _him_, instead?"

Xemnas waved a through his hair, "The thing is, boy, I _don't_ want your loitering father's power. He _has_ no power." The man allowed this information to sink in before continuing, "He is also a man under me, Axel. You're the only one who's not."

"The hell? What do you mean I'm not?" repeated the teen, struggling in his chair a little; the restraints were beginning to hurt around his wrists, "If my father's under you then I should be—"

"You don't understand…" interrupted Sephiroth, flashing the lightning device a bit too close to Axel's face. The teen pulled as far away from it as he could get, "You pose a threat, Mr. Cloud-successor. You are the city's false-hope. Your title…your _rumored_ name…is more to the people than it is to you, you see."

"Explain."

Sephiroth flashed his eyes at Xemnas before beginning again, "They think you'll _become_ something. A great ruler, much like Cloud himself."

Frown further deepening he listened. Axel couldn't really picture how he could be anything like the Cloud of Legend. He had to admit, though, he felt slightly flattered. _People actually think that?_ He chuckled inwardly, trying to see his future self being loved by many and being praised—possibly even worshiped! He didn't know why this would be a bad thing for the Spades. They'd have a good ruler right? _Him,_ right? It sounded pretty damn good to his ears!

"So you think if I get all this Cloud-power, and manage to rule Horizon's Whatever-it's-called just like him…it will ruin you?"

"Precisely," chimed Xemnas, "We don't _need_ another Cloud. That would only put…our _pleasant_ city in a bad state. Everything perfect as it is. It just needs a more _capable_ ruler, you understand."

Axel furrowed his brows, "And _you_ think you've got what it takes…?"

Offended by this comment, Xemnas gripped his freehand tightly around the redhead's slim neck. Grinding his teeth, watching as the teen tried his best to resist being choked to death. The man really wasn't one to snap, but it appeared as though Axel had annoyed him far beyond his breaking point already. He had the ability to kill the redhead under his heavy grasp. He knew he could do it. Simply break such a slender neck with the right force. Watching the redhead sit there gasping for air tempted him greatly…

…But he released his captive; rolling his wrist around to ease the pressure he had just applied to it. Axel coughed fiercely, his tired eyes beginning to water.

"Y-You didn't…kill me," growled the teen, his chest moving up and down rapidly, "You had your chance just now. If I'm really a threat then why don't you just get rid of—"

The right end of Xemnas's lips curled, "You _want_ to die?"

The teen looked away, obviously, angered by the interrogator's laidback composition.

"Didn't think so." Confirmed the man, feeling a bit of satisfaction, "Will you willingly choose to die, or would you care to join this cause?"

_Join you? Like _hell_ I would join you!_ His mind thought bitterly as his emerald eyes darted from the executioner to its master. Truthfully speaking, Axel didn't care much for political power. He really didn't care who the leader of Horizon's Rebirth was, nor did he care what happened to anyone else. The teen was one of those 'every man for himself' kind of people. Defending for one's self was his top priority—everything else sort of fell a step below it. Because of this, the redhead knew for a fact that he wasn't quite the leader-material that many saw him and expected him to be. He knew he was lazy, spoiled, and had a mild obsession for anything fire-related. _That_ kind of person…just didn't seem suitable for being a successor to much of anything.

Aside from that, Axel didn't like having a lot of responsibilities. In reality, the teen figured that giving all his power to this psychotic pervert would be a lot of weight off his chest. He'd have more time to himself! The only reason that made him say otherwise, however, was simply for personal reasons. Axel hated Xemnas. Even as a baby he hated the man! A few Family reunions ago, Xigbar had laughingly recalled the moment the Spade Master took the tiny child in his arms. Baby Axel had quite literally kicked the man in the face. Whether or not the teen held a grudge against Xemnas for dropping him, it was hard to tell. All that could be certain was that couldn't stand watching the Spade Family gain any sort of satisfaction. Stubbornness was the only thing that allowed him to rebel against them, whether it was for the good of the city or not. He didn't like letting them have their way. _The spoiled bastards…_

"I'm guessing you'd rather die," said Xemnas, quite blandly, like it was the most natural thing in the world to say, "…But I just can't have you killed at the moment."

Axel furrowed his brows, half-realizing Sparrow's pirate hat was still stationed on his head—his spiked hair must have stationed it in position.

"…_What?_ We're not going to kill him…?" gapped Sephiroth, disappointment and rage etched into the lines of his face.

"For now, I'll let this slide, boy," continued the Head of Spades completely ignoring the other silver-haired man, "Your entering the struggle tournament may play to my advantage… So I'll give you another option."

_Another option…?_

"If you ever meet anyone in that tournament (I presume you'll make it to the final round, as always.) who calls himself, _or _herself, 'Sora'—I want you to kill it. Understand?"

The redhead shuffled uncomfortably in his chair before looking the man directly in the eye. "Sure, whatever. Sounds easy enough. But, I doubt there are any more 'Soras' around here. I mean, after that public execution that you sponsored and all. Hey, if _my_ name was Sora, I'd change it too, you know," he scoffed carefully observing Xemnas's reactions, "Especially after what you did to that one kid."

Both Xemnas and Sephiroth exchanged glances.

Axel seemed pretty darn sure he wouldn't meet Sora or anybody with that name for that matter. Anyone who still had that name definitely had some guts; either that or they were just stupid. Having a child going around claiming to be _the_ Sora of the Heart Family, right after each member had supposedly been fried, rattled the remaining Families and even started a major uproar within the city. Had this Sora-claiming-kid not been executed like that, a meaningless civil war would have definitely risen—or at least that's what Xigbar had told him. So it was practically impossible for any sort of 'Sora' to be wandering around unattended. There was practically a law against having that name! So why was Xemnas still brooding over this lost cause? It didn't seem to make sense.

However, if he _did_ find himself face to face with some blue-eyed wannabe at the Tournament, the teen figured killing him off wouldn't be much of a problem The matter of having to kill someone didn't seem to trouble Axel as much as it should have. After all, if he were to _accidentally_ kill someone in the Struggle Tournament, no one would blame him. He wouldn't even have a guilty conscience about it either. The Tournament was a fight: a battle (to the death in some cases). It wasn't at all like the childish Struggle brawls that were popular amongst the younger kids these days. _This_ was the real thing, and those who weren't prepared could face a lifetime in a wheelchair or even end up eight feet under.

It's not that the redhead enjoyed killing people for fun. He'd never actually killed anyone before. Just a few serious injuries, several concussions, and that's about it. To him, though, even if he _were_ to kill someone, he thought it would be a pointless to dwell on it. That's what he swore to do if the case ever came up. Death just…sort of happened—sometimes by accident, too. If his opponent were to die, it was _their _fault. Not his. They wouldn't have ended up dead had they not entered in the first place. Sure, his mind set wasn't the most uplifting thing in the world, but he'd force himself to accept it if that's what it took to be the best. If that's what it took to enter such a fierce tournament without any worries or regrets.

"There are rumors," informed Sephiroth, "Whisperers are saying that Sora is _alive_, and that he'll be entering the tournament."

"And _you_ believe them?" asked Axel, frowning, "They're just urban rumors right—?"

"Rumor or not, it cannot be overlooked," said the other, twirling the injection idly between his slender fingers, "It doesn't hurt to be overly cautious. Can I _trust_ you to do this?"

Trust truly wasn't an appropriate word to hear coming from the mouth of someone as _un_trustworthy as Xemnas. The entire good side of the definition of the word seemed to warp under the man's forced words. Axel found this sourly amusing.

"Fine. Whatever." Answered the teen. The redhead really didn't want to comply with the request. But found that the only way he'd be able to get out of this hell was to agree to _something_ if not everything. Sure, at first all he wanted to do was resist, no matter how much the torture was, but now that a good hour or so had passed, Axel just couldn't take it anymore. Resistance just wasn't worth this. He calculated that he had been sitting here for about three hours at the very least. He was tired. He wanted to watch his favorite TV show. He wanted a nice bubble bath… He wanted to get out. "You can trust me, or whatever. If—that's _if_—I see this 'Sora'…I'll be sure to severe his head and present it to you on a platter, your _Greatness_."

A bit of satisfaction slowly appeared across Xemnas's irritated features. At least he got through to the redhead. Better late than never. "Now that we've come to an agreement…I suppose you want me to let you go, correct?"

_Blah. Blah. BLAH. What the fuck do you think, dumb shit?_ The redhead resisted the rather enormously large temptation of rocketing every single cuss word Demyx had unintentionally taught him back at the two silver-headed freaks. Oh, Xemnas was beginning to _really_ get on his nerves. He was half naked, his neck hurt, and he wanted out. Enough talk, enough petty banter. None of this made sense. Actually, this all seemed rather pointless to him. If all the man wanted him to do was kill some kid that probably didn't even exist… then what the hell was the point in him getting knocked out and tied up? It's not like Axel could (as much as he would have liked to) kill the Head of one of the three Families. Even _he_ wouldn't stoop that low.

"Just by that expression on his face, I think you're right, Sir…" snarled Sephiroth as he proceeded to kick the teen in the shin. Axel yowled in pain, but still abstained from cussing. "Ha ha ha… He really thinks you're going to let him go!"

Xemnas smiled wryly, "This boy needs to be taught a lesson."

"My thoughts exactly," chimed the other silver-head, "Care to leave him to me? I've been _dying_ to play with a new toy. The other boy—_Riku_—has become rather dull recently."

"P-_Play_?" repeated Axel, mouth hanging, "You can't be fucking serious! I agreed to your stupid request!"

"_One_ request." Corrected Xemnas, yawningly. With a great sweep of the dark cape that hung loosely from his shoulders he stood over his captive, injection in clear view of Axel's bare skin. "After the Tournament, I'll give you a second chance to redeem yourself and join me in full compliance—"

"I—I—I'll join you, _dammit_!" blurted the captive, emerald eyes widening at the size of the needle.

"Too late, kid," mused the longer-haired of the two, "Look on the bright side, you won't remember nor feel any of the pain until _after_ you wake up in your cozy bed back home."

Axel winced. _Damn, I knew I should have stayed home…_

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That's it for this chapter. Sorry for it being so short. I feel bad for Axel... Xemnas sucks. I hate Xemnas. I'm a horrible author... forgive my soul!

Er... Review? Haha.

Next Chapter: Struggle Tournament registration! Axel and Roxas...meet face to face for the first time. Finally. I know.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Fateful Encounter Down on Main Street

**Summary:** Axel's an ignorant aristocratic boy from one of the Four Families of Horizon's End (Rebirth, it was later renamed), and Roxas is a poor kid out on the streets...but was he always peasant?And why does he havesuch a strange grudge against the Families? Alternate Universe: AnAkuRoku fic. Based in a Victorian Era twisted with a modern-day sort of setting.

**Author's Note: **Ha... ha... ha... Hello everyone . You all have permission to kill me now xD! Some promise I made! When was the last time I updated this fanfic?? xX. Two flipping years ago. I'm sorry to all those who were waiting for the next chapter, but never got it... I'm sorry. EXTREMELY sorry. HOMG. I don't know what to say... I am ashamed... But I came through in the end with this most anticipated chapter. Thank you to all those who have reviewed. 31 reviews! :D! I'm so happy!! Thank you for reading, really. I appreciate all of it. I've read all of your comments, and WILL continue writing this. If I don't update it like AT LEAST once a year OOll then it's safe to say that I probably died. ANYWAY! On with the fic: Please enjoy it D

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Chapter Five: Fateful Encounter Down on Main Street

'Until after you woke up' was a little more than _just_ an understatement. Even in an unconscious state of mind, Axel could swear he could still feel the damage inflicted upon his half-naked body. Sure, it wasn't painful damage (his nerves was too drugged up for that), but he knew something was being batted against his limp body. Whether Xemnas or Sephiroth had taken turns in playing piñata or were simply trying to beat the crap out of him, the teen could only subconsciously speculate. Actually, he didn't even _want_ to know. Simply imaging the two at work—or having their way with him—was bad enough! It was a nightmare! He was half-thankful that injection the silver-haired goons had stabbed him with both knocked him out and numbed him entirely. It didn't hurt—for now, anyway. The redhead could only anticipate the pain of waking up. A sore neck with bruises everywhere, a few cuts, two black eyes, and possibly even a sore ass… the works! Axel hoped he wouldn't wake up at all if that was what it took to get back into reality. He could just lie there slowly dying…pretending to die… or sleep forever—

"Get _up_!" scowled a high-pitched, bitchy voice all too familiar to the teen's ears, "Haven't you slept enough to last a life time?"

There was a brief pause in which Axel refused to respond.

He twitched, unintentionally, both from the rush of pain throughout his sore body and the fact that he knew exactly who it was that stooped over him now. The redhead ranked this person in an even higher danger rate than even Xemnas and Sephiroth combined… _of all the bad timing in the world! Why'd she have to come in today!_ He turned on his side. Then curled up under his warm comforters with the inclining false hope that the person—a she—would go away and leave him alone.

"Out!" screeched the voice again, "_Ouu_… If you don't listen to me, you're _so_ going to regret it!"

The girl, as it were, who stood akimbo at the side of the redhead's bedside scrunched her face up in an annoyed-like fashion. She seemed not only displeased by Axel's current condition, but also by his lack in obedience to her. No one…not a single person/thing/heartless/nobody gets the Great Ninja Yuffie pissed off _and_ let off with a mere pat on the back. Not even her best student. Not even the Heir of Diamonds. Not even Axel was let off with a mere pat on the head. Those who did so usually found themselves in the worst possible situation…

Even with knowing that, Axel persisted in his disobedience. He'd trifle with fate until it killed him. It was a habit. A bad one. It was one of his greatest weaknesses—a weakness Yuffie often took advantage of.

"I just went through a traumatic experience…give me a break…" murmured the redhead, covering his head with the blanket's pyro-like design.

_Snap!_ Blanket was practically torn away from Axel's tight grasp. Only parts of the blanket were left clutched in the teen's tight fists. The rest of it had unfortunately been broken into shreds by the great ninja's poor anger management. Apparently Vexen hadn't consulted her properly enough yet. Those session and times with the stress ball didn't seem to have affected her in any positive way.

"Like HELL I'll give you a break!" she screamed, leaping up onto the bed to leer down into her student's tightly, shut eyes. "You've been asleep for a week _straight_! Demyx's excuses can only do so much for you!" At this, she pulled Axel out of bed and onto his feet, allowing him to teeter drunkenly at the foot of his bed. "Well, I'm fed up! You lost a _week's_ worth of training, and the interview is _today_!"

_So what…?_ Hearing this didn't quite brighten the redhead's sour mood. It was quite the contrary, in fact. His body ached, he was tired, and he had this excruciatingly strange desire to take a very long shower. "Whatever. Am I supposed to care—?"

_SLAP_. The ninja girl smacked the redhead across the face. The impact of her hand to his cheek was so strong it not only managed to knock the wind right out of him, not to mention, off his feet too. He hit the ground with a loud _thump!_ His head just barely missed crashing into the closest bedpost as he collapsed. The first thing his emerald eyes focused on was the foot tapping consistently upon the floor of his room.

_Tap. Tap. T-tap. Tap. Tap. T-tap. Tap._ Morse code? Axel's emerald orbs were glued to the other's odd, yellowish-brown boot that couldn't seem stay put. Her left foot kept coming up and then down in a sort of odd rhythm. Green pupils seemed to bounce up and down from beneath the young master's drooping eyelids. _Is it speaking to me?_ He thought, feeling a little bit stupid. Although he knew, even then, that that shoe was indeed attached to a foot, that foot to a leg, that leg to a body, and that body being that of his Great Ninja Mentor (or Sensei… whatever Yuffie felt like calling herself), he figured that playing dumb might (not likely) make her go easy on him. He could either expect a severe beating, an annoying scolding, or worse, a _lecture_. Her lectures had the ability to make any normal person's ears bleed. They were so pointless and far from the topic at hand that even Axel couldn't stand them.

"Ugh! You're _sooo_ hopeless!" cried the 'Great Ninja' bending over the pathetic heap that was Axel. "And _they_ say you're this city's last hope… Geez! If only they knew…"

Axel groaned loudly as he turned over onto his back. In all honesty, he felt horrible, miserable, and in as much pain as a person who had been stung by twenty swarms of killer bees in every possible area of the exposed body. His aching limbs seemed to scream out at him in creaky-like voices wanting so bad for the still-partially-intoxicated-redhead to stretch with all his might. The teen would have liked to oblige, but the pain was far too great for him to even move a muscle. The prospect of even trying to open one eyelid hurt too much. He couldn't even think! His brain felt like it was being batted continuously against the walls of his head.

"Hell_ooo_…? Are you even listening to me?"

Axel grunted. If there were one thing more annoying than that damn father of his, it would _have_ to be Yuffie. "Yeah… The interview, right?"

"Right." She confirmed as she once again resumed her akimbo position, "People are already lining up at the booths for registration as we speak. The interview's in an hour and a half!"

"What fuck kind of a—? Registration?"

"Yes—registration! Today's pre-registration for the Struggle Tour, remember?"

Axel's emerald eyes shot open and his torso involuntarily sat up the moment those words rang in his ears. Yuffie nearly stumbled backwards at the redhead's sudden awakening. It freakishly reminded her of The Zombie Rising, a book her father had read to her as a child. It was a memory she was not proud of, so she tried her best to regain her composure. After all, she didn't want her best and most formidable student to know that she had such a stupid weakness. One such as Axel would _definitely_ use that against her. He'd probably torment her everyday during training sessions, work out's, or when she wanders the city alone! What's worse, Xigbar would probably help too! She could lose her job, not to mention her good pride along with it!

"You're effing kidding me, right…?" gapped the redhead, face whiter than snow. "Yesterday was May 22! A _Friday_! Registration isn't till this coming Thurs—!"

"Today _is_ Thursday," explained the ninja, "Didn't I just say you were asleep for nearly a week?"

The teen's mouth seemed to have gone dry. He couldn't even find the right words to formulate a coherent sentence in his mind. He didn't want to believe her: today just couldn't be the official opening day of the Tournament! It just couldn't! He had been tortured and traumatized just the day/night before by the Head of the Spades family! Didn't Xemnas want him to win the Tournament!? _Damn him! I almost missed registration… that bastard._ Not only that, but he had also lost an entire week of training. A week where he could have been doing countless sit up, crunches, and push-ups! A week where he could have _actually_ perfected his newest technique! He had lost an entire week of his life, for that matter—an _entire_ week that would never get back even if he begged Time to have mercy on him. This entire mess was because of those two devils in silver hair. If only he had just followed his gut instinct and stayed home that day, none of this would have happened…

"This can't be happening…"

Seeing that her work was done and that Axel was finally wide-awake, Yuffie took the time to walk toward the door. "Meet me at the front gate in an hour, got that?"

There came no response.

"Hey! GOT THAT?!" screeched the girl, placing her hands firmly on her hips once more, "Oh! And one more thing, you might wanna go on a diet or something… At least until that potbelly goes down, alright? Hee hee!"

She didn't even try to hold back her laughter as she slammed the door on her most 'beloved' pupil. Emerald orbs stared blankly at the shut door, as his hands reached down toward his stomach. _Potbelly?_ The moment his finger's touched what used to be some rather tight-looking abs, Axel freaked. It wasn't flat anymore. There was a bulge, and not just any bulge… There were about _three_ bulges in a row, from top to bottom. He could actually take his hands and squeeze each one separately! His fingers sank in every time he pushed at it. Even as the redhead tried to suck it in and slide his hand from his chest to his waist, it would always stop halfway. He didn't even DARE to look at himself in his mirror. _Oh crap…the mirror…_

Here's the thing: normally, every morning, Axel tended to look at himself in the mirror. He did it for no particular reason, really. He just did it out of routine and 'necessity' one might say cause he had a cool-looking-Axel-shaped mirror. Xigbar had specially ordered them for each of the bedrooms: One in his, one in Axels, and one in Kairi's. These mirrors were especially made to fit the exact outline of the person in a specific position. The thing about these mirrors was, Xigbar always had to have a new one fixed up and brought in, especially for the growing kids. The growing kids (Axel, especially) always tended to outgrow their mirrors much faster than Xigbar (he seemed to be growing shorter, actually). Anyway, the point is that every time something changed, the mirror too had to change with them… And _this_ was what Axel was worried about.

Axel stared at his mirror, horrified. "…My mirror will have a potbelly…"

At this thought, Axel fell back down on the floor, eyes gazing hopelessly at the ceiling. How the _hell_ did he get so out of shape? Something just didn't seem to fit. At first, the redhead was going to vent out all his anger on Xemnas, but after delving deeper into this mystery, he figured that the silver-haired pervert's drug would not come with an extra dose of flabs to his stomach. How could he gain _that _much in just one week! On top of that, he had been fast asleep since then. Sure, he hadn't been able to exercise because of his state, but he hadn't taken in any food or drink. He couldn't have, right…? But even with that thought in mind, Axel didn't even feel hungry in the slightest! He felt like he had just eaten two platefuls of chicken risotto!

The redhead glanced around the room for clues, and it didn't take long to find what he was looking for: There, on his shelf, right next to where he had been knocked out were two empty plates, just as he has predicted.

Struggling to his feet, Axel limped toward the shelf. With each step, he bit back the pain that seemed to shoot from his toe to his head. By the time he got there, the smell of chicken risotto was prominent. Carefully, he picked up one of the pinkish oblong plates. There were hardly any leftovers, but what was left confirmed his hypothesis completely. He inspected the plate thoroughly, wondering whose these plates belonged to (because Xigbar definitely wasn't much of a pink person). It took only a few seconds before, lo and behold, he found his answer scribbled messily on the underside of the plate: _Property of Demyx! o_

"…I'm going to skewer his guts and rip him to pieces…"

It was quite unfortunately for Demyx for that at that precise moment the sitarist, in the flesh, came waltzing through Axel's door. It was as though the redhead had intentionally hooked and reeled the mohawked servant with an invisible fishing line to his very demise. Demyx had, of course, absolutely no idea that he had made the biggest mistake of his entire career. Actually, at the moment, he felt like the luckiest boy alive! His face was up in the happiest smile you could possibly ever see on the blonde, pearly whites stretching out from ear to ear, and his pinkish, frilly apron equally matched his cheery mood.

Considering that the servant's job was mainly to take care of the young master, he was quite pleased with the fact that Axel had been knocked out cold during his visit with the dreaded Head of Spades. _YES!_ Demyx practically pissed himself, he was so happy. With Axel out cold, he was practically given a free vacation! The only thing Xigbar had instructed him to do was to feed him every once in a while. Of course, at first, the blonde mohawk had been a bit reluctant about the idea of shoving food down Axel's throat while he slept, but the skunk-haired master managed to convince him otherwise. Xigbar was _very_ convincing:

"Think of this as, like… uhm… like, feeding a fish, Dem!" Xigbar had instructed Demyx as he elevated Axel's head and crammed a large portion of chicken into his son's mouth.

"Uhh…" sputtered Demyx, as he watched his master in horror. "Isn't that… not safe…?"

Xigbar glared. "Fish, Dem! Think F-I-S-H-E."

"Isn't it just F-I-S—?"

"I didn't ask for statistics, damn you!" At this, Xigbar accidentally slapped poor Axel across the face. Demyx took a step back. "I said fish! Got me, boy?"

"Uh, yes, Sir… You're saying Axel's a…fish?"

"You got that damn right! A fish. This here's a rare red-spiked fish."

Demyx took a step closer to the bed to look inspect Axel as Xigbar continued to shove spoonful after spoonful until the already stuffed mouth. Closing his eyes and using just a tiny bit of his imagination, he pictured the young master as a fish. A red-spiked fish. He opened his eyes: "I…I can see it, Sir!" he cried delightfully.

Xigbar flashed another one of his award winning grins, "That's it. Now, what does a fish need, boy?"

"Um… water?"

_BAM!_ Demyx was practically flown to the other side of the room.

"You're as stupid as they can get, huh? Fish need you too _provide_ food," Xigbar explained, crossing not only his arms but his legs as well. "They don't got arms, you see? They need humans to put food in their tank so that they can eat it. That's _your_ job. You're the human. You need to take care of your fish."

_My fish…?_

Truth be told, Xigbar was pretty stunned that Demyx was capable of being so gullible. He wasn't quite sure, though; whether the servant was really that thick or it was the smack in that head that made the sitarist agree to this rather odd service. In actuality, the old man was really just up to his old tricks again. He made sure that everything that Demyx fed him was fattening and heavy. Call it curiosity killed the cat, but Xigbar had never seen a fat Axel before, and he was just _itching_ to see it. He had a professional camera crew _and_ the mirror carvers ready at his word…

All these details, at this present time though, were shrouded in complete mystery to the wild and majorly pissed young master. Axel didn't really care about anything else except the thoughts of murder and "kill Demyx" that spun in his mind as he watched the ignorant servant prance happily toward him. Not even Axel's infamous death glare managed to phase the cheery aura that clashed horribly with the dark, emo aura that predominately lingered about the room.

"Demyx." Scathed the young master, trying with all his might to control his rage.

The blonde stopped prancing the moment he heard his name uttered in such a _I'm-going-to-kill-you_ kind of tone. He knew exactly whose voice it was even without looking directly at the person. And knowing who it was sent shivers up his back. It seemed his vacation was over, and he was _already_ in trouble. That thought managed to disperse his cheery aura completely—allowing the dark, emo aura to take control of him too. The cheeriness had been lost to the dark side.

Trying in vain to keep his spirits up, Demyx proceeded to start a bit of light conversation.

"A-Axe! You're alive!" he cried, slumping toward his master. "H-how do you feel…?"

Axel's emerald orbs seemed to pierce into the other's very soul. Demyx felt more than _just_ out of place. He didn't want to be there at all; he wanted to crawl away… far, _far_ away.

"_Fat_," was Axel's only reply.

Demyx frowned. "Huh?" At this he examined Axel from top to bottom, he went as far as walking around the redhead to inspect 'every inch' that seemed 'out of place'. "_Yeah_… You do _look_ a bit heavier—"

_BAM._

* * *

"C-Can we call it quits now…?"

Hayner stood teetering from one side to the next, sweat dripping profusely from his face and onto his already drenched army green T-shirt. Cuts, bruises, abrasions, and blisters decorated his arms, hands, feet, and legs, but his face (thankfully enough for him) sustained minimum overall damage. Despite that, however, the boy still looked like a _complete_ disaster! So much so that he was about ready to collapse at any second. Never, in his entire peasant life, had he been this sorely beaten up before. Sure, Hayner had gotten himself into some pretty nasty fights, but through most of them he was able to get away with only a few bruises and maybe a cut or two. _This_ damage (and pain) was on a totally different scale than what the boy had ever anticipated when he agreed to join Roxas in his everyday training exercises. The Tournament day was approaching fast, and Hayner figured he'd help increase his best friend's chances of getting the Struggle Cup.

This, of course, was what he had intended to do 6:30 in the morning. It was almost noon now, and the blonde extremely regretted having ever joined them. Why? Hayner came to help out. Instead, the boy ended up training _with_ Roxas, and _that_ was no walk in the park. Roxas's sponsor made pretty damn sure there _was_ no walk in the park. To put it quite bluntly, Tifa was brutal. That was the only thing Hayner had learned during the entire session; it was a side that he had never expected from the sexiest food stand lady in the slums. The boy figured Tifa _had_ to be tough if she wanted to keep that figure, surely men from all parts of Horizon's Rebirth would try to jump her while she was walking home alone, but never did he expect her to be able to rend a tree into pieces with just a punch!

_She's not human…_Was the conclusion he came to. She just couldn't be! All of his secret fantasies of Tifa being all naïve, scared, and wanting to be protected were shattered the moment he saw the way she came at Roxas at full throttle. Hayner, seeing Roxas hurtled into the air at 35 miles per hour, no longer envied his best friend. It was quite the opposite, actually, he felt a might bit sorry for his friend.

"The Hayner I know doesn't know _how_ give up!" called Roxas, a grin spreading across his scarred up face. He easily ran passed his teetering friend with ease, as though he had not undergone the same rigorous training. Although the boy was equally scarred up and trashy-looking, Roxas was extremely agile and showed absolutely no signs of fatigue or exhaustion the way Hayner did.

Hayner made sour face, "Shut up, will you?" At this he started to jog at a slow pace, trying his best to keep up with the one who had just outran him. "Why did I get dragged into this anyway? She's _your_ sponsor!"

"_What_? Just a little light running and you're _already_ complaining?"

At this Hayner sped up a bit in order to not be completely left in the dust: "_Light?_ You call this _light_ running? She's making us do twenty laps around the city's perimeter! _Twenty_, ROXAS!"

Roxas laughed out loud, but said nothing in reply. Instead, he focused his attention on getting the last lap done. _One, two, one, two…_ the boy repeated in his head as he ran onward. They both passed the Dragon District and were now heading toward the Traverse Sector—their final destination. The two blondes longed for a nice bath, good food, and some quality company, something they were sure to find as soon as they got there.

In all honesty, the number 'twenty' _did_ sound pretty intimidating, but this blonde had undergone much, _much_worse during the time he's worked with Tifa. The woman was actually going real easy on him today, oddly enough, and Roxas was _extremely_ relieved by it. Typically on a 'running day', he'd have to run a total of 70 laps around the city, which would take almost 21 hours for him to complete! That task was the first thing the sexy food stand owner had made him do during their first session together. Ever since then, 'running day' was officially every Thursday. So, today being Thursday, the blonde had gotten ready to run that very morning. What he didn't expect, though, was Hayner joining/interfering with his training. It was most likely that that was the reason Tifa was giving him this so-called 'light' jog. _Sorry, man, _Roxas thought, guiltily, _Tifa really looks down on you…_

"Look!" shouted Hayner, interrupting the other's train of thought.

Upon turning to where his buddy was pointing, Roxas found the source of the other's excitement. There, just few feet away from where they were running, was the broken-down 'To Traverse Sector' sign. The sign, itself, was enough to make their insides leap for joy! It was only a matter of time until their training for the day was over. Their final destination was the spot where they had first started from—Tifa's Famous Food Stand—and they were just about there. The mere thought of it made Roxas feel kind of weird. Today's training was _extremely_ short. Well, in comparison to 21 hours on the track, training was about to end in a fraction of that time! It was a miracle! _Never_ did he believe a day like this would come. _Never _did he think that, as Cloud's previous sponsor, Tifa would give him an easy break like this. It was almost unbelievable. Roxas had to pinch himself to believe the words the black haired, brown eyes woman spoke to them earlier that morning. Had Hayner not asked to help, the spike-y blonde probably would have had to run the 70 laps like always—at least that's how he pictured it.

The two of them skirted a few trees, caught themselves from tripping over a several rocks, and even jumped a few other large obstructions before slowing their running pace to a light jog. Tifa's Famous Food Stand was just ahead of them now; they could see the faint glow of its lamp lit lights in the distance. This picture before them definitely brought Hayner's spirits back up; so much so, that he finally caught up with Roxas's pace again. The aroma of delicious foods continued to grow stronger and stronger with each step they took. The smell was enough to make them both drool and fill their minds with nothing but hamburgers and noodles. Words made of food, swimming _in_ food, and food capable of singing and dancing seemed to spill into their famished minds. How they couldn't _wait_ to just sit down and stuff their faces.

The usual crowd around the television and the faces of hungry customers greeted them as they stumbled toward the ever-busy Traverse Sector. Although Roxas trained every day (from morning till night or even morning till morning), Tifa still had a business to run back at her food stand. At first, he thought the woman wouldn't be able to handle multi-tasking his training at the expense of her source of income, but as time went on, he realized how dependable Tifa really was. She not only worked double time for Roxas's training, but she also managed pulling off double time at the stand too! It was incredible! Her display was what inspired the blonde to work even harder than he already was.

Heaving and wheezing, Roxas and Hayner finally came to a complete stop behind the food stand, just out of sight of the regular customers. Tifa had scolded them several times about loitering about the Food Stand during working hours, so it was almost second nature for them to hide from the usual crowd—_especially_ if they weren't fit to be seen. Had they been bathed, and clothed appropriately, mingling among the crowd wouldn't be much of a problem, but considering their sweaty, smelly, and exhausted state they strayed from having anything to do with them.

Hayner, who wasn't used to this kind of extraneous exercise, fell on his back and closed his eyes. The two of them tried their hardest to slow their breathing and calm their racing hearts. It sounded almost like a drum roll in their heads, bouncing, loudly, from inside their skulls. It only took a matter of seconds before Roxas had calmed down completely, looking as though he had, indeed, just come from a light jog. He glanced down at Hayner, sympathetically, knowing very well how the other was feeling at that moment. The guy looked bushed and completely beat, exactly the same way—Roxas assumed—_he_ looked after his first 70 laps. _On second thought, I probably looked even _worse_ than that…_ After all, twenty laps was _nothing_ compared to seventy.

"Need a hand?" asked Roxas, trying to help the other to his feet.

Just as Hayner was about to retort, something caught both their eyes. The two of them stood in silence as they watched three people who had been hidden from them in the shadows of the surrounding trees walk toward them. Two guys and one girl: just by making out their outlines, the two blondes already knew perfectly well who they were.

"Hey, you were right Fuu," said a young man wearing a dark beanie. He looked about their age, but seemed a bit more composed and sterner in several aspects. Not only that, but it was obvious to anyone that he was the leader of the lot. His long white trench coat, blue vest, brown pants, and odd shaped scar across his face automatically gave off who he was to both Roxas and Hayner. Hayner, for one thing, grit his teeth in pure anger at the sight of him. The sight of the other's expressions only made the young man grin with pure delight; "It _is_ the loser twins."

"Affirmative." Stated Fuu, the only girl of the trio.

Her voice was quite monotonous, and her expression extremely hard to read—it was hard to tell what was really going on inside of that brain of hers. Was she bored? Sad? Miserable? Happy? No one really knew… She, too, wore a blue vest much like her leader's, but her choice of pants was lighter.

"Get lost, Seifer." scathed Hayner, brown eyes narrowing at the leader.

Seifer laughed, "Who gives_ you_ the right to tell me what to do?"

"Stupid—"

"—Yeah! Stupid! That's right, Fuu," cried the third of the group. He was the biggest of the three, and his fire red shirt and black pants would easily tell anyone passing by not to mess with this kid. "No one talks to Seifer that way, ya know? He's been promoted to second in command, ya kno'?"

"We _don't_ fucking care!" shouted Hayner, almost hysterically, straightening himself. His body appeared to wobble ever so slightly due to his fatigued state. "You sold your souls to the devil… Your nothing but a bunch of _traitors._"

"Woah… woah… _woah_!"

"It's alright, Rai," said Seifer, the very same smug grin plastered on his face. "They obviously know not in whose presences they stand in."

"Oblivious."

Hayner was just about ready to deck Seifer in the gut when Roxas held him back just in time.

Unlike Hayner, Roxas knew very well whom they were dealing with at the moment. This blonde wasn't hard of hearing, and the information he had learned from Tifa about Seifer's gang had startled him enough to never forget about it. Once upon a time, Seifer, Fuu(jin), and Rai(jin) were pretty much the same as Roxas and his gang. Street kids who loved hanging out and having fun by the water hole. They wore ragged clothes like any other kid in the slums, and they got along well with everyone—well, _almost_ everyone. Hayner had always considered Seifer his ultimate rival in everything, but the day when Seifer 'sold his soul to the devil' changed everything that had ever gone between them. He didn't _just_ sell his soul, he allowed Xemnas to eat it whole and use it to his advantage.

Xemnas saw great potential in everything that was Seifer. Not potential for Seifer, per say, but potential to get exactly what _he_ wanted. As a street kid, the three of them knew of everything around town—all the shortcuts, hiding places, and underground places. This sort of knowledge, combined with Seifer's thirst for power and prestige was exactly what Xemnas needed. It was what allowed the Head of Spades to pull them into working for him. Seifer, Rai, and Fuu were now the chiefs of the Spade's Disciplinary Committee of Horizon's Rebirth, and they had the power to put _anyone_ (if they wanted to) in jail for practically _any_ crime they chose. Even if they didn't _like _you, they'd send you straight to Redemption Hall or out of the city. They could choose your punishment too, it was one of the 'thrills' of being in this business, they say.

"Heh. At least _one_ of them knows their place," mused Seifer, flipping his trench coat to reveal his gunblade. "I could kill you both if I wanted to, but your our best source for humor, isn't that right, guys?"

"Yeah! Your—!"

"Excuse me," interrupted a curt voice from behind the three disciplinary members.

All three of them jumped at the same time and glanced back to see Tifa towering over them, her foot tapping on the gravel impatiently. Seifer and Rai, who had also been big Tifa fans back in the day, fumbled for words to say in attempt to soothe the stunning woman that stood before them. Although the two of them seemed rather tough on the outside, their insides were quite tender and gentlemen-like when confronted by a lady. Fuu, on the other hand, could only roll her eyes the moment she noticed her comrades making googily-eyes.

"Would you mind keeping your voices down? You're disturbing the customers."

Seifer's body seemed to stiffen at the sound of her sharp words, and he hastened to obey Tifa's command. The last thing he wanted to be was on the list of the people Tifa hated; that would hurt his pride as a man, he often said. With one sweep of his hand, Rai and Fuu were at complete attention, and they followed him in a single file line as though they were in military school.

"We'll let this slide, for now," said Seifer in a low voice, green eyes glued to Hayner's brown, "But I'm gonna get _you_ next, loser. Mark my word."

At this, the three of them high-tailed it out of there, leaving Tifa, Roxas, and Hayner behind. For some odd reason, despite Hayner's tough act a few seconds ago, a rush of chills seemed to flow throughout his fatigued body. It was strange; the boy had never felt like this before. He didn't know if it was from the run, or if it was Seifer's last words that shocked him. The words '_I'm gonna get you next'_ stilled rang loud and clear in his ears. It scared him. Not that the boy was a big wuss or anything, but he couldn't deny the fact that those words scared him to death. He didn't understand why. He knew that Seifer was bluffing, but something inside told him otherwise…

"I wouldn't pick a fight with them anymore if I were you, Hayner…" said Tifa, breaking the stillness that had fallen upon them. Seeing the boy's questioned look, Tifa shook her head: "Just don't."

Roxas placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, but instead of comfort, Hayner jumped; his eyes stared at the two before them, horrified. Both Tifa and Roxas, in turn, stared shocked at the shaking boy, and managed to catch him just as he was about to collapse. The fatigue had finally gotten to him.

"Was twenty too many…?" murmured a worried looking Tifa, more to herself than to anyone else. She then glanced over at her apprentice and smiled sheepishly. "There are some people at the Stand who are waiting for you, Roxas. You might wanna go wash up and meet with them before we head to the arena for the pre-registration."

Roxas made a face, "Some people…?"

"You'll see what I mean once you get there, 'kay?" She winked.

At this, the dark haired woman took Hayner into her arms and hoisted him up like a baby. Roxas was pretty damn sure Hayner would have loved being so close to the Tifa's bosom, but on further thought, he figured the guy would probably just pass out again if he knew about it. _Ehh… I'll just keep this incident to myself_, he thought, knowing very well that this was an extra precaution to protect his best friend from harming himself. The blonde also knew that Hayner would probably end up talking about it for weeks on end… so in essence he was _also_ saving his, Pence's, and Olette's ears from bleeding for that long.

Straightening himself up, Roxas nodded at Tifa before the two went their own separate ways. Although nothing specific had been said between them, they had a silent mutual agreement just by looking into each other's eyes. A mere glance and they were able to understand one another completely. From what the boy understood, they would meet up later at the front of the stand after all requirements were handled and dealt with. One of these requirements, being that Roxas would _need_ to take a nice long bath and change his sweaty clothes. Problem was, the ones he wore now were his _only_ clothes. This meant he'd have to wash _them_ too!

As he continued down the gravel path, the one road eventually broke off into three separate directions, each bearing a large sign overhead. The left most sign was painted in a rather annoying style of writing, obviously made by Olette, which said 'BaThInG wAtEr'. Ignoring the other signs, Roxas calmly headed down this path, unaware that two people, not too far behind, were trying to chase, calling out his name, and wave their hands at him just to get his attention.

"Roxas! _Rox!_" cried Olette, already red faced. "My gosh! Is he _deaf_?"

"It's okay… there's no hurry," said Leon, placing his hand over his face and shaking his head.

The brunette of a girl furrowed her brows then looked up at the man who she had escorted to meet Roxas. She shook her head, "You stay right there, okay? Right there. I'll get Roxas and be _right_ back, okay? Okay? Got it?" She said all of this as she sped off in the direction that the blonde had disappeared to, leaving Leon a bit lost and confused. _Strange girl…_

From what Leon could tell, Olette was a bit boyish for a girl with her looks. Also, the way she acted around men was a lot different from what should be expected of her. For one thing, she was very outspoken, and she treated Roxas, Hayner, and Pence as equals to herself. She didn't show and sign of weakness in front of them—she had the pride of a man quelled up inside of her. It kind of reminded him of the way Tifa always acted: always tough and hated to be looked down on. It was _that_ kind of attitude that inevitably made her Cloud's sponsor. She was the only girl Cloud could ever entrust with his training and other secrets too. Looking at Olette now, Leon could tell this girl would go places no other girl would be able to.

Barely two minutes passed when Leon heard the angered shouts of two familiar voices. The high pitched screaming was no doubt Olette telling the blonde to hurry up, while the lower voice was Roxas trying his best to break free from the girl's tight grasp. Lo and behold, just as the two of them had turned the corner and come into view, the brunette had indeed had her right hand clamped tightly around Roxas's wrist. The Roxas she was forcefully dragging in Leon's direction was a _much_ different Roxas than the man had expected to see.

"Sorry for the wait!" cried Olette, wiping her face. She looked as though she had taken a dip in the water hole herself for her entire being (including her shoes) were dripping with water.

"Olette! W-What the fu—?" Roxas too seemed quite drenched from head to toe as well. Unlike Olette, though, the blonde was almost completely exposed. It was obvious to anyone that the boy had just been pulled out of the waterhole and dragged out here. He had almost nothing covering him, except a flimsy face towel that he was trying (in vain) to use to cover up his front lower extremities. "L-Leon…?"

Stunned by what had just gone on in front of him, it took a lot for the man to restrain himself from laughing out loud. Laughing, of course, was completely un-cool and out of character for someone as composed as Leon, so even if he wanted to, he controlled his urge. There wasn't the slightest hint of it etched in his face. His face looked completely expressionless, not counting the slight twitch his eye made the moment he saw the two walk toward him.

"I've been looking for you, Roxas," stated Leon, words coming out a bit slow (he was trying to hold in his laughter). "Getting ready for pre-registration, I see." At this, the man's eyebrow tilted upward, for all to see.

Feeling quite humiliated and flustered, Roxas broke free from Olette's death grasp and straightened the face towel before stammering, "I i_was_/i before Olette suddenly dragged me out here…"

Olette merely smiled in response to the blonde's accusations. The girl had completely ignored everything that her good friend had said, and was happily looking between the two guys. It almost looked like she had formulated a crush for the scar-faced man—Leon _was_ good-looking after all.

"Well, that would be my fault," replied Leon, eyes dodging the younger boy's body. _Calm down…Relax…He's Cloud's son… not Cloud._ "_Ehem_. I have a few things I needed to give you, but I didn't think that I would be upsetting your schedule… _Anyway_, here—" he pulled out a full set of what looked like new clothes, "—wear these. It's a gift from me and Tifa."

The blonde stared at the new bundle of clothes, not knowing how to react exactly. They looked spanking, brand new, and the cloth looked _extremely_ durable—meaning, _extremely_ expensive. _When was the last time I got new clothes…?_ The boy had actually taken the hobby of mending, sewing, and creating his own clothes ever since he started living out on the street. His friends had taught him how to survive in a world that had suddenly fell before his eyes, and they all stuck together. _Never_, five years after the Hearts' demise, did Roxas believe a day like this would come. He _never_ thought entering the Struggle Tournament was possible, but now he was preparing diligently for it. He _never_ thought anyone would ever believe he was an heir to the Hearts Family, but both Cloud and Tifa did. They knew it all a long. He _never_ imagined that _anyone_ would lend him or, much less, buy him new clothes! He didn't know what to say.

Olette too was completely stunned by Leon's sudden act of giving, but felt no resentment or jealousy toward Roxas. She could tell by the blonde's reaction that he was hesitant to take them, and she could only smile. Doing the boy a good favor, the girl took the clothes Leon had extended to him and shoved them into his face.

"What? You gonna stare at them all day like that?" asked Olette, laughing, "You got pre-reg to go to! Hurry up!"

Roxas, forgetting that he was practically naked, caught the clothes in his arms just before they hit the ground. It would have been a damn waste if they were to get dirty after they had just been bought! Unfortunately for him, though, catching the clothes required him to use _both_ his arms, thus revealing the very part of his body he had been trying to cover the entire time.

Completely oblivious to the mistake he had just made, he looked up at his friends, a sparkle glinting in his eyes, "Thanks…"

Leon _grinned._

Olette who had been looking at the man the entire time, completely ignoring anything and everything that dealt with Roxas, became concerned. "Uh… Mister? Why's your nose bleeding?"

* * *

The crackle of fireworks, the honking of horns, laughter of people from all over town, and the repetitive sound of festival music could be heard all over the Main Street and toward the famed Struggle Stadium. The Stadium's circular structure made it one of the most amazing places to find one's self whilst visiting the city. It was the typical hang out place for tourists, and it was the people's _only_ means of getting away from all the hubbub of reality. To compliment the Struggle Stadium's massive size and circular shape, Horizon's End was formed around it, making the city also circular. The slums area surrounds the outer perimeter, and the Stadium remains today as the heart of the city. Although the original founders, King Mickey and Regent Ansem, had not anticipated there ever being a slums region, the remaining Families made sure it still held that circular symbol. A symbol of unity—the only characteristic Horizon's Rebirth lacked.

If one were to live here, the rank of one's family not only depended on what job you had, but it also reflected the part of town that you would be leaving in. The closer your family lived to the Struggle Stadium, the better off you would be. Immediately surrounding the heart of the Horizon's Rebirth were the gigantic mansions of the four Families of Nobility. The Heart's Mansion, although it had been completely destroyed years ago, was restored some time after the incident in order to keep the 'four corners' of the city in check. Cloud's mansion stands now as nothing more than a museum for tourists and citizens to take a small glimpse of what had been the Great Hearts Family.

Unlike any other day, pre-registration marked the beginning of the long-winded, three week Struggle Tournament event. What did this mean for the people? Putting it bluntly, this meant it was time to _party_ and just let loose. There were no tired and weary faces of over-worked and under-paid workers, and there were definitely no sad and dissatisfied people. For everyone, this was an event to rejoice about. The elder citizens managed the small stands, selling merchandise, food, and souvenirs, while the younger ones went around asking for autographs from their favorite strugglers. Strugglers were celebrities. The stronger you were, the more popular you were. That's just the way things worked.

Taking all of this into consideration, it's not too difficult to picture the large crowd of fans (mostly female) that followed Axel and Yuffie's every step. Pictures flashed, screams were screamed, and autographs were…left _totally_ ignored.

"Oh. My. _GAWD!_" cried one of the fangirls, "It's Axel!"

"Can you please sign my butt?" screamed a boy (the only one) that stood nearest the two; he looked like he was about to cry.

"I'm your number one fan!"

"_Aieeeee!!_ He's _so_ hawt!"

Yuffie looked extremely ticked, as always, but seeing as their bodyguards were the ones handling the fangirl situation, she saw no need to scream back at the audience. It wasn't like she didn't enjoy the popularity and the publicity for her pupil, but both Axel _and_ Xigbar had rubbed in the fact that she was still a nobody in the eyes of the fangirls/boys. She was just a representative: nothing more than someone who stands on the sidelines and lets other people do the job for them. Just by glancing back at her redheaded pupil and seeing him with that attractive grin on his slim face, she could feel the envy rise within her small, petit body. Despite this, she held it in—it was not _her_ place to be recognized. She was hired, after all. The girl didn't receive any praises (other than her pay) and neither did she expect any.

"Enough with pictures, please," she scowled, trying her best to take control. "Axel. _AXEL!_ Are you listening to me?"

"What _now_?" sighed Axel, proceeding to stretch his arms. Several fangirls, in turn, caught this rare footage with their cameras ("_Wahh! _Look at him sigh!").

Yuffie crossed her arms, "You're ready right?"

"For what? The Tournament?"

"The _interview, _stupid! The one I told you about this morning?"

Axel ruffled his hair feeling a bit oblivious as to what his master was trying to tell him. In an effort to not make the girl angry at him or give him an even harder time, he lied: "Yeah. Sure."

Getting the reply she was hoping for, the ninja smiled widely at him. It seemed as thought the pressure that had built up on top of her seemed to lessen a little bit by Axel's words. She had a vague feeling her pupil was lying to her, like always, but just hearing him say it was enough to calm her down a little bit. Axel was definitely her most difficult student to teach and train. Even now, the girl still had many problems. For one thing, he hardly _ever_ liked listening to what other people had to say, and another thing, he _hated_ being told what to do. The young master was a spontaneous and hardheaded kind of guy, and Yuffie just had to _learn_ to deal with it.

In spite of being the most problematic, Axel also just happens to be her best student, which was the main reason why she hadn't dropped him yet. The kid has _great_ potential, and if taught correctly, he could probably grow up to be exactly as the rumors say he'd be. This was Yuffie ultimate goal. She, too, wants the old city back—the fair city of Horizon's End. The city that Cloud had stabilized. The people need another Cloud… And that was what she saw in her loud mouthed, ignorant, rash, and often blunt little pupil.

"Good!" exclaimed the ninja, perking up to her usual cheery state. She pointed in the direction of the large blue and white dome structure (the Struggle Stadium), "Meet me there in half an hour, okay? And _don't _screw around and make me look like a fool for sponsoring you, or you'll regret it."

Axel shrugged. "Yes, ma'am."

At this Yuffie rushed away from the redhead, leaving all her hopes and expectations in his hands to deal with. Even though he had a few black suited bodyguards surrounding him to handle the crowd of fans, there was still a slight chance that things could get out of hand. Sure, because of the redhead's super fast struggle reflexes it was practically impossible for _anyone_ to attempt to kill him, but there was still the slight chance of him getting harassed or molested by strangers if the crowds came too close. On a side note, Axel was quite glad the guards had everything under control. The last thing _he_ needed was for another molestation attempt.

An icy chill crept up his pale back as flashbacks of his Xemnas experience were shoved in his face. He had to shut his eyes and shake his head in order to pull himself back into reality.

"Master Axel," said the voice of one of the bodyguards. They noticed that the young master had suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. "I'm sorry, but we must ask you to head over to the Stadium immediately. Crowd is growing drastically… We might not be able to hold them back—"

"Alright, _alright_, I get the message."

At this Axel began walking once more, dragging his aching feet and pushing his sore body along as he went. _Sometimes I just hate being me…Man! I could just kill something about now…_he thought feeling utterly annoyed with himself and everyone around him. _Sora, huh?_ Suddenly remembering his orders from the silver-haired pervert. Despite his utter distaste of all things that were Xemnas, Axel couldn't help but grin when he thought of those orders. _If there really is a Sora somewhere around here, now's a good time for you to show up!_ He glanced around the crowd, almost hoping that a brown-haired-Sora-wannabe would rush out from the crowd and attack him. The redhead almost burst out laughing at the thought of it; he couldn't believe he just thought that._ Damn. I must really be losing it…_

Unbeknown to the young Diamond's heir, not too far away, a boy looking just about as annoyed as he did had just begun mingling amongst the crowd. Sapphire orbs glanced warily about from side to side, and his spikey-blonde hair was actually groomed to perfection unlike his usual every day appearance. Not a smug on his face, or a tear in his clothes could be seen on this young boy's entire image. He definitely didn't _look_ like someone living in the slums, and his mannerisms didn't show _any_ likeness to that of your typical street boy either. Roxas, in his new black and tan pants, converse shoes, and stylish top, looked so _good_ that he had attracted a small crowd of his own. Well, actually, it was Tifa who was really attracting the audience.

"Look what we 'ave here! Ain't that Tifa Lockhart?"

Roxas glanced back at his sponsor and the two others that had come along with him for support. Tifa, being his one and only sponsor and trainer, had to come along so that was no surprise, but both Leon and Hayner came too of their own volition. The blonde had to admit that he was a bit moved by the fact that they came to cheer him on, but the thought of his nude incident earlier greatly dampened his optimistic mood. The kid couldn't even look Leon straight in the face now! How embarrassing! _At least Hayner wasn't there..._

"So it _is_ true! She really is sponsoring this year…"

There was a lot of whispering and gossiping going around now that the group had begun walking down Main Street. It was _obvious_ to anyone that the black haired, brown-eyed food stand owner had, at one time, been quite well-known amongst the upper, lower, middle, and nobility classes. Her name and her face were recognized by practically everyone they passed by, Roxas noted. This signaled to the blonde that what Leon had said almost a week ago was true. Tifa really _was_ the original sponsor of the Head of the Hearts Family. Cloud's name was practically attached to her image like a super glued sticker, and it made him feel kind of tense. _He_ had to live up to Tifa expectations now that Cloud was gone… And for a boy of his age, Cloud's shoes looked a might bit big for him.

He gulped. No matter what the odds may be, or how far the comparison is between his father and himself, Roxas was going to make pretty _damn_ sure that he was going to win this Tournament. If not for the sake of the Horizon's Rebirth then for his pride as the Heir to the Hearts Family name. _I'm not going to lose here…_ It didn't matter if no one knew who he really was. He was doing this as an act of revenge against the Families that took everything he loved away from him.

It was around this time, as the tall houses, buildings, and obstructions moved out of the way as they push forward, that the Struggle Stadium finally came into view. The large, bluish, circular top that seemed to almost reach the sky stood out in the distance. Roxas felt his heart skip a beat the moment he laid his sapphire eyes upon it. He had never been _this_ close to the Stadium before. They were so close now… The anticipation, adrenaline, and excitement began to build up in his body that he couldn't take his eyes off the large dome. He was so excited that he had completely forgotten that he was walking… He wasn't even looking where he was going anymore!

"Hey!" shouted the voice with a strange sounding accent. Anyone would have a hard time understanding what he was saying, but it was obvious that the man was excruciatingly pissed off. "Didn't you _read_ the sign?"

Roxas jolted the moment he felt a hand on his shoulder. He hadn't even heard the man shouting at him for the past few minutes. The blonde spun around to face his entourage, but instead saw that they had stopped some ways behind him. They were all staring at him with rather humiliated looks of embarrassment. The boy, being completely oblivious, only noticed the scruffy looking man with an odd blue sailor hat after the guy had flicked him in the ear.

"Ow!" cried the blonde, clutching his hand to his ear. "Hey, what was that for?"

The scruffy old man narrowed his eyes, obviously annoyed by Roxas's attitude. Labeled neatly on this man's blue vest was a tag with 'DIRECTOR' in bold print, and just by looking at his face, one could tell that he was having a pretty rough day. Problems and more problems just seem to be piling up on him by the minute, and just when he thought he had gone through the best of it, _this_ had to happen! This arrogant kid had actually just waltz into the 'do not cross' zone of Main Street, and _he_ was speaking _the_ director like _this_? The nerve of this kid! Didn't he know who this man was? Who it was he had ignored completely for the past couple minutes? Ruffling his snow-white hair in complete aggravation, he pointed a finger straight at Roxas's nose. For a director, the man was pretty short, so he had to actually stand up on his tiptoes to reach the blonde's face.

"Didn't you see the sign?" shouted the man, finger flattening the blonde's nose. He then proceeded to grab the blinking yellow caution sign that specifically said 'DO NOT CROSS' and shoved it in his face. "Okay, smarty-pants, what does _this_ say?"

"Hey…Uh, Donald, hyuk," interrupted a rather slim looking man with an odd, droopy sort of face. "You can let him off, can't you? He just prolly didn't see it..."

Donald shot a glare at his partner, "Aw, shut it, would you, Goofy? Of course he didn't see it! If he did he wouldn't be here to begin with!"

"Hmm…" Goofy placed a hand under his chin to think a moment before replying. "Ah… You have a point there, Donald. A-hyuk!"

The old man rolled his eyes, then returned his attention back to the blonde that had just added another wrinkle to his already wrinkled forehead. Roxas, on the other hand, was still confused at to what was going on. The two men had some of the strangest accents that he hadi_ever_/iheard in his entire life, so it was slightly hard to understand what kind of conversation they were having now. _Am I in trouble…?_

"How long are you guys going to take?" shrieked a voice from not too far away. It was a voice even louder than either Donald's or Goofy's put together. Roxas actually had to cover his ears to keep the high-pitch from busting his eardrums. "Hell-_O_! You said the interview would start at 4:30! It's already 4:32! Axel's been waiting for two _whole_ minutes, and here I find you dweebs squabbling over nothing!"

At seeing the ninja master Yuffie enter the confines of the director's 'quarters', Donald scrambled about the room for his pen, paper, script, and recorder. His eyes looked wide with anxiety as he kicked Goofy into getting the camera crew into place at the opposite side of the street. In the span of only a few seconds, the restricted area of Main Street looked just as bustling as the rest of it, if not even more so. Amid the chaos, Roxas found himself being pushed around by dozens of random crewmembers that he hadn't even noticed in the area. Not a single polite word or glance came from any of the ones that bumped into him.

"Hurry up!" screamed Donald, face redder than the plumpest cherry. "I'm deducting _all_ of your pay!"

Yuffie watched the lot of them in amusement. Her usual wide grin was spread across her face as she watched each person, one after another, leave the resting area and toward the interview platform not far from here. Each person scuttled out of the area eventually leaving only Roxas and Yuffie in the resting place.

"Huh…?" She spotted Roxas just as the blonde was just about to rush out in the opposite direction. "Hey! You! What's a kid like you doing here?"

Roxas froze. "Uh… I—"

"Yuffie," said Tifa, come up from behind Roxas as support. "It's been a while, hasn't it…?"

Trespassing, which Roxas knew very well, was considered a _severe_ offense in Horizon's Rebirth, and could wind you up (depending on who caught you) in prison. The blonde had been quite lucky to stumble into such odd and virtually harmless characters like Donald and Goofy, but the moment he caught glimpse of the golden sash that was strapped across Yuffie's torso, he _knew_ he could be some rather big trouble. The golden sash worn across the torso often meant that he or she had been 'touched' by nobility, and had abilities (although they may be peasants or in the working class) to send offenders to straight to the Disciplinary Committee.

In all honesty, Roxas was _extremely_ grateful that Tifa came in when she did. She, and everyone else, had probably been watching from a distance the whole time, willing to step in _only_ when necessary. They didn't want to get involved in small things that could be over looked. Tifa's, Leon's, or Hayner's presence in a scene with Donald and Goofy would only create a much bigger problem, and that was something they all wanted to avoid. But now that someone of higher status, like the Great Ninja Yuffie, had stumbled upon the blonde in his unstable predicament, the only way out would be to _help_ him out of it.

"T-Tifa…?" gapped Yuffie, rubbing both of her eyes just to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "Is that really you? Then this boy—?"

Tifa nodded her head, placing both of her hands of Roxas's shoulders. "I'm his sponsor."

"_Him_?" Yuffie slapped herself out of the daze. Her startled features suddenly turned to ones of complete over confidence, and this sort of haughty air about her seemed to permeate the air from out of no where. "Ha ha ha! You're joking right? _That_ shrimp? That's pretty low for _your_ standards. Getting a little desperate since Cloud's passing…?"

Roxas's eye twitched. _Shrimp she says…?_

Tifa only smiled, "Well, this '_shrimp_' is going to beat _your_ pupil in the final round."

Yuffie snorted, unable to control her fits of laughter. "Your shrimp's gonna beat _my_ pupil? You _were_ always a great kidder! No way. Not in your wildest dreams, Tifa! He's almost at the same level as Cloud, himself! Geez, if Axel heard that—!"

"Axel's _your_ pupil?" blurted Roxas, eyes narrowing.

"Yeah," retorted the ninja, not liking the blonde's arrogant tone at all. She stopped laughing the moment she realized that the two before her were dead serious about all of this, "What's it to yah, _shrimp_?"

An odd stillness settled over the three of them. The rivalry that had lost between both Tifa and Yuffie so many years ago suddenly sparked and rekindled at that very moment. The fire and desire to prove to each other who was boss enveloped even Roxas…

"Oh…_Great_ Ninja Yuffie—?" droned the voice of a guy, not at all familiar to either Tifa or Roxas. It came from the same direction that all the crewmen had frantically disappeared to. "—Eh? What the hell's up with this atmosphere?"

"Oh _great…_ Axel!" screeched Yuffie, appearing even more flustered than she was already. As she said this, a young man with emerald and striking red haired came into view and hobbled over toward them. "What are you doing here? The interview! The _interview!_"

"Interview, Shminterview. I don't give a damn… They took too damn long," said the redhead, monotonously, waving his hand in the air as though he didn't care. "So, anyway, who're they? Your friends?"

Roxas's first impression of Axel, the heir of acclaimed Diamond's Family? Well, it wasn't at _all_ what the blonde had been expecting it to be. He had actually expected someone a bit more muscular, a bit more mean-looking, and someone who didn't talk all that much. Instead, the boy's first impression was: _Oh my gawd, red_. The first thing that caught his eye was the boldness of the color that was Axel's razor-sharp-looking hair. The skinny and leanness of his figure came as the second shocker for the young boy. This didn't scream 'fighter' at all. The redhead didn't even act like much of an heir to _any_ Family that Roxas had pictured in his mind. Axel had completely shattered Roxas's image of him.

Yuffie glanced over at the two standing not too far from her, "Them? _Friends?_"

"Yeah. Thought so. You've never even _had _friends before, have you, Master?"

The ninja glared harshly at Axel, but held her tongue. She couldn't lose her cool here. Not in front of Tifa. Not in front of her ultimate rival in the Struggle Tournament. No way! She couldn't show them how horribly her and Axel got along! That would be a disgrace to her and a _terrible_ blow to her ninja honor.

Tifa, who was oblivious to Yuffie's state of panic, had her eyes glued to the Diamond's Heir. Her slight smile automatically turned sour the moment her dark eyes caught glimpse of the redhead. It was evident to anyone that the black-haired beauty _wasn't_ a big fan.

"_Sooo_… who are they?"

Yuffie grunted, crossing her arms, "You don't need to worry yourself over _them_, Axel… Come on. The interview!"

The redhead shrugged, emerald eyes staring at the young lady and then toward the even younger boy. Somehow he couldn't shake the funny feeling that nagged him every time he glanced at the blonde. It wasn't just the blonde that he recognized though; the long, dark-haired lady that stood at his side also caught his attention. Although she _was_ very beautiful, it wasn't that which struck him so. It felt like dejavu. _Where've I seen them before…?_ He was pretty sure he had never met the lady, but he was absolutely sure he's at least seen a picture of her in a magazine, newpaper, flyer, or something. She was famous. _Was._ These days, Axel never saw her face anymore.

"Hey, Yuffie? What's the lady's name?"

Yuffie sighed. "Is that all men _ever_ think about?"

"That's not why I asked," stammered Axel, eye brow twitching wildly. "It's just… I'm sure I've seen her before."

The ninja glanced at Axel. "I'm not surprised that you have," she stated, matter of fact-ly, "Tifa used to be the most famous sponsor in the entire Struggle World. Emphasis on _used to be._"

Axel stared at the two opposite himself.

"She used to be the sponsor of the man _everyone_ believes you'll become one day," she added, knowing very well how Axel's one-track mind worked. "She was Cloud's sponsor, you know, and—"

It was the very moment that Yuffie uttered Cloud sacred name that something inside the redhead snapped. He couldn't seem to hold it back anymore, no matter how hard he tried. Ever since he won his first Struggle Tournament, Axel had heard the name 'Cloud' attached with his. The recent rumors that he was the city's hope for the future or that he would be the next 'Cloud' of the city weren't because of his ability. It was always because the people saw Cloud in him. When they looked at him… they saw Cloud. When they thought of him… they thought of Cloud. In everything Axel did, even when he didn't do anything at all… It was always in Cloud's shadow. Xemnas was now on his case because of the bastard, and winning the Struggle Tournament only meant that he was just a step away from being _like_ Cloud. He'd never be recognized… Not as Axel, anyway. _He_ would be the next _Cloud._

Yuffie stopped short of her sentence the moment she noticed something was wrong. Even Tifa, Roxas, and several of those who had been passing by (including Leon and Hayner) noticed Axel's sudden change in body language. The young master looked terribly upset and distraught…

"Axel…?"

"Don't fuck around with me," were his first words, and he said them loud and clear for _everyone_ to hear him. "I don't give a rat's ass about Cloud or his damn title. Cloud's a fucking loser. He even got himself and his entire family _killed_! Why the _hell_ would I want to be like _that_ weakling—?"

_WHAM. _

Axel stumbled backwards. He had been caught completely off guard, and had almost been pushed to the ground. The force of the punch itself was massive, more so than any he had _ever_ felt in any of his battles in the rink. The redhead put a finger to the place where he had been socked… _Blood?_ Axel was stunned. One punch and he was already bleeding…? The young master looked straight in the face of the perpetrator who had punched him… He was surprised by who he saw, too. He had, at first, thought that Tifa had had enough of his ramblings and went to silence him, but instead found the shorter, blonde boy who had been standing beside her glaring angrily up at him.

Everyone became silent. All those who had been nearby stopped, stunned by what had just happened before their very eyes. There was no bustling, no happy chattering, no nothing. All was quiet. All the people were holding their breath.

"_Bastard._ Don't you _dare_ talk about Cloud in front of me. You don't even deserve to utter his _name,_" growled the blonde, sapphire eyes meeting those of emerald. "Enjoy your glory while you can, _Axel._ Don't act so high and mighty, that title never belonged to _you_ in the first place."

To. Be. Continued.

I think that was one of the LONGEST chapters . 30 pages on ms word darnit. Haha xD. Serves me right... I haven't updated in ages.

Next Chapter: Roxas gets pumped up for the Tournament, while Axel...fantasizes about the blonde boy who socked him xD!? Axel?? What happened to your fighting spirit?! :O! Next time... on VIVID PROMISE! Till Next Time, peeps :D


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Stadium Side Preliminaries

**Summary:** Axel's an ignorant aristocratic boy from one of the Four Families of Horizon's End (Rebirth, it was later renamed), and Roxas is a poor kid out on the streets...but was he always peasant?And why does he havesuch a strange grudge against the Families? Alternate Universe: An AkuRoku fic. Based in a Victorian Era twisted with a modern-day sort of setting.

**Author's Note:** Homg. I actually finished another chapter after a few weeks after the last one! Woooo!! xD! Let's call this an achievement, folks. ! Thanks for all the people who added this fanfic to their favorites, and update list! Thanks so so SO very much. It fills me with joy, really. It gives me more incentive to write this. I love writing this story, and I have fun with it. Things might get weird here on out, but I hope you'll still bare with me. Thanks everyone! Especially Shiguna and Agent Kits!! I love you guys too! . Okay, on to the actual chapter. This chapter is KINDA a filler, cause nothing really big happens like in the last chapter, but there a lot of important references in this chapter that I just could not write before the incoming chapters. This chapter is essential for several reasons, but you'll have to wait and find out why! So sorry for the boringness! I'll try to make the next one better... I FAIL. I'm sorry...

* * *

Chapter 6: Stadium Side Preliminaries

"What part of 'don't stand out' didn't you understand, Roxas?" cried an exasperated-looking Tifa, running a gloved hand through her dark hair. Although she spoke in a relatively soft voice, one could easily tell how worried she really was. "You realize this _could_ affect your entering the Tournament, don't you…?"

Several hours had already gone by since the sock-Axel-in-the-face incident, and the sun had already begun set behind the golden hills just beyond the city's borders. The final rays of light stretched out across the darkened sky above leaving a stream of red in their wake. With all that went on that day, it was surprising that the sun's normal cycle would just keep moving forward as it always did. Funny how no matter how chaotic our lives turn out to be, the world, the sky, the plants, and the animals wouldn't even give a _damn_ about us. They'd just continue on their little cycle of life with nothing but a care in the world. In all honesty, the horizon _would_ have been one of the most outstanding scenes to behold that day, but there were just too many things to worry about in life to even glance up at the sky. Nature seemed to mind its own business while humanity did its own thing. And Roxas, for one, was _far_ too busy trying to keep his head together to even care about anything else anyway.

_Forget about the Tournament,_ he thought with a shrug, _I could be shipped out of the city by tomorrow morning if they find me!_ Truthfully, the blonde had never been so lost and confused about what to do next since the day he witnessed his family's destruction before his very eyes. The only difference he felt between back then and right now was the mere fact that he would have to face whatever trials, come what may, all by himself. Back then, Roxas had his strong willed and stubborn brother by his side helping in all the decisions they would make. Now, however, he would have to face everything as he was. Sora was long gone, and the blonde couldn't do anything about that.

"Lay low for the time being, okay…?" urged the black haired sponsor, looking at the boy with concern. "We managed to get all those reporters off our backs, but it's for certain they'll be back. If someone approaches you, say _nothing_, understand?"

Roxas nodded, sapphire orbs glued to the floor.

Despite being somewhat of a talkative guy around his friends, the blonde couldn't formulate any sort of reply. Not in his mouth, not even in his head. His mouth was much too dry for anything less than a weak gasp, while his mind was too jumbled up to even _begin_ to straighten out. It was humiliating for him to admit it, but he really _did_ screw things up this time. He let his emotions take control of his body and get lost in the moment. Had he a weapon in his hands, he was pretty darn sure he would have stabbed the redhead right then and there. _Nothing_ on the face of the planet would be able to stop him in that crazed state of mind. There was only one thing Roxas saw as he charged at the Heir of Diamonds, and that was Axel, himself. Everything else, all the people and surroundings, were shrouded in complete darkness. Truthfully, though, no one could blame him for acting the way he did. Axel had touched upon a _very_ sensitive topic; it was just a matter of at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Don't you think you're being a little hard on him?" interrupted Leon, cautiously venturing to intervene between the sponsor and pupil. "I'm sure Roxas understands…"

Tifa looked at the man partially hidden by the shadows of the tree's leafy branches. She sighed, feeling a little regretful about how she had been treating the blonde. It was enough that the Axel fanclub _and_ the media were at his neck practically the _entire_ day just to throw insanely horrible comments into his face, but now Roxas had to deal with Tifa's worries too. She was only concerned about the blonde, but sometimes worries can become even greater burdens for the ones affected. Both she and Leon had done the best they could to keep the media away; they turned away all questions, interviews, and pictures. It was _imperative_ that the blonde's picture remained out the sight of the public. It would be meaningless if one of the Families of Nobility recognized him on the spot and exposed him… If he were to get caught, Roxas could—

She shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said, gentle eyes lying upon the other's head. "Roxas, you can go now. I'm sure your friends are waiting for you by the Food Stand."

Roxas looked up, "Huh? You're not coming…?"

"I… have a few things I need to discuss with Leon," she explained, looking back. She then glanced back at Roxas and winked, "Don't worry so much. Pence can handle the Stand by himself! He's a great apprentice."

The boy looked between Leon and Tifa. He wasn't convinced. He was _pretty_ damn sure he was being left out again. Being a kid had _many_ disadvantages and Roxas was sure this time just happened to be one of them. He could tell by the stern look on Tifa's face, and the very fact that Leon just wouldn't look him in the eye. He could also tell that no matter _what_ he'd do to stay, the both of them would never give in. Tifa and Leon were stubborn people, and stubborn people never seem to listen to reason.

"Okay," murmured the blonde, sighing to outwardly show his dissatisfaction. "I'll see you both at the Stand then." Roxas lingered for a few minutes, eyes looking between the two, before he sped away in the direction of the TFFS (Tifa's Famous Food Stand).

Neither Tifa nor Leon even dared to even lift a finger until the blonde was completely out of sight, and even then, they remained silent. They couldn't even face each other, let alone look each other in the face. Now that Roxas was gone, the air in the area seemed to have become rather hostile between them. It felt awkward. Neither one of them could even think of what to say, or how to begin. Where to start or where to end? They might not have shown it on the outside, not to Roxas anyway, but there had always been some rather tense _and_ sometimes hostile encounters whenever they were alone. They could _not_ show that side of them to the blonde. They just couldn't. Not after all that he had gone through… He didn't need to know about that side of his family. They were sure that Cloud would have told him in time, but now that the Head of Hearts was dead… They weren't so sure it would be such a good idea to tell Roxas now.

"He's just like his father," Tifa began, breaking the stillness, "So much so, it almost scares me… Cloud did exactly the same thing too remember? That's mainly why I wasn't as surprised as I should have been…"

Leon smirked. "Cloud might have punched him, but it was well deserved. Sephiroth definitely got what was coming to him."

"Yeah…He's Cloud's son, all right," she murmured, more to herself than to anyone else. "You know I—"

"What about yours, Tifa?"

At these words the woman froze. Hesitantly, she glanced up into Leon's deep, gray eyes.

"…W-What are you talking about?"

Leon shrugged, "I don't have anything against you, Tifa. I've been a family friend for _ages._ You think Cloud wouldn't tell me…?"

Tifa said nothing. She merely crossed her arms, staring tentatively out into trees that surrounded them.

"You adopted him, right? Where is he now?"

One could clearly tell she had had about enough of this conversation by the way she dug her nails into her arm at every word that came from his lips. She was obviously hurt… It was a sensitive topic, one that Tifa never wanted to remember. She looked extremely vulnerable—something Leon had never seen before. He felt kind of bad for bringing it up after all of these years.

She bit back the tears that wanted to well up in her eyes.

"He's dead, Leon… Don't worry yourself."

* * *

Coming toward the TFFS was a lot less difficult than Roxas had suspected it to be. During the course of the day, he (and his entourage) had been stalked and harassed by countless interviewers, journalists, and photographers just to get the latest scoop on what had happened on Main Street that day. The blonde had thought that he would have to deal with paparazzi for the rest of his life considering how persistent they all were, but thankfully, they were thrown off their trail. He had to give them credit for their efforts, but under the sharp eye of Tifa and Leon's status in society, it was practically impossible for any of them to get what they had published. Leon made _sure_ nothing would get passed him, and they were also sure that Yuffie wouldn't want that sort of info going public as well. For one thing, it would make Axel look weak! And second, he'd lose fans and support! There's _no way_ Yuffie would allow that.

So, with help from various sources, Roxas found himself completely ignored as he approached the lamp lit lights of the Stand. Only a few customers who often saw him with Tifa smiled widely in acknowledgement as he went by. In this part of the city, it seemed as though nothing at all had changed since he left. No one knew of what happened earlier that day, and he hoped that it would _always_ stay that way.

"There he is!" called out a voice obviously belonging to Hayner. Roxas frowned profusely; he had an idea of why his buddy had so forwardly pointed him out amongst the Food Stand customers. Behind him were both Olette and Pence who looked around frantically in hopes of finding their missing forth member. "Roxas, over here—!"

Before Hayner could even finish his sentence, Roxas was already upon him like a wild cat. This 'wild cat' practically tackled the unsuspecting victim and proceeded to gag the guy with his palm. Olette stared wide-eyed and the display of what she mistook as affection, while Pence squinted his eyes thinking that an R rated scene was coming on… Unfortunately for Olette (who was very much a yaoi fan as she was a lover of French Fries) and fortunately for Pence, what they had had in mind was totally opposite of what Roxas's intent was.

"Shhh!" stammered the blonde to the other dirty blonde, "What's your problem? You want me to get arrested…?"

Hayner pushed the other's hand from his face and laughed, "Of course not! But I gotta hand it to you, that punch was awesome!"

At this, Roxas once again swatted his hand at Hayner annoyingly big mouth. It was one thing that the blonde had received a rather harsh lecture from the Stand owner, but it would be a _totally_ different thing if he were to get arrested by the higher ups. It was one of those life-or-death situations, at least that's how he figured it, and the only way for him to stay out of that mess was to keep the rumors and paparazzi to a minimum. Doing this required that his friends', Hayner especially, mouths remain completely sealed and shut at all times about the matter. No matter how cool or awesome they might have found Roxas's courage to be, it was a matter that could place him behind bars. That latter being one of the things Hayner just couldn't seem to understand.

"Olette," murmured Roxas in a low voice, "_Please_ tell me our village idiot didn't tell anyone else other than you two…"

Olette made a smug grin, "Don't worry, Pence and I have kept _It_ in check."

Hayner twitched. Being called an inanimate object, an 'It' so to speak, had a rather dramatic affect on him. He was pretty used to the snide comments Roxas always made, but for some odd reason, he could _never_ handle when Olette said something insulting about him. Whether it was because she was a girl, because he inwardly hated her guts, or because he had a crush on her, well, neither Roxas nor Pence had the time to really understand. One thing they knew for sure, though, was his short temper to Olette's wittiness.

"_Anyway_," Pence coughed, trying to steer the conversation toward a collision course with Hayner, "You three should head over to the Usual Spot if you wanna talk. It's much too crowded at the Stand today, who knows who or _what_ could over hear your conversation in a place like this. And reservation's _booked_ till late this evening! So, I'll just have to catch up with you guys later…" At this, the pudgy fellow turned back at the crowded stand, "At least until Tifa get back. She _is_ coming back, right…?" The last question was obviously directed toward Roxas.

"Uhm… Yeah," sputtered the blonde, not really knowing what else to say. "She won't be out _all_ day, I don't think…? She wouldn't do that to you—"

Pence stared tentatively, "She's done it several times already."

The three friends looked between themselves then back at Pence, all feeling a little out of place. They could feel the sense of loneliness and horrible drama that would come upon them as soon as they ventured deeper into what their buddy was trying to imply to them.

"We'll—err—be going then," said Hayner, interrupting the silence, as he began trotting off in the direction of the Usual Spot, "You… Take care, all right, Pence? Don't over work yourself."

Pence smiled, "Oh no, of course not! I _love_ this job."

It was hard to tell whether or not the boy was being sarcastic, but no one dared to ask. It felt a bit awkward for all of them at that point, and it was at this time that Hayner decided that it was time to take his leave. With nothing more than a nod to Pence, the dirty blonde plunged his hands into his army pants and trudged down the rocky path toward their hang out. Olette too, feeling a bit out of place, merely waved at her friend before hurrying to catch up with Hayner.

With the girl's presence gone, Roxas and Pence stood staring at each other in silence, neither knowing how to begin or what to say. Roxas, for one thing, felt a might bit guilty about Pence's predicament. It _was_ true, after all… Tifa really had been taking a lot of time off of the TFFS lately because of Roxas's training needs. It was only obvious that there would be times when Pence-the-apprentice would have to tend to the stand all by himself. Sure, the woman had been setting aside ample time to do both duties, but things, from Pence's perspective at least, were much different from the way they had been before. As her apprentice, he understood that as a sponsor, the dark haired beauty would have to sacrifice a lot more time than usual, but ever since she took on the sponsor image once more… she seemed like a completely different person. It was strange. He didn't know how to shake the feeling. He just _knew_ it was strange. Something just didn't seem quite right to him…

"Hey, Rox," said Pence, breaking the silence. His eyes glanced around, refusing to meet the other's sapphire orbs. "Uhm… You know? Uhm. Well…"

Roxas's blinked. "What's up?"

"…It's about Tifa."

"What about her?"

Pence shuffled his feet before replying, "You don't think she's… Well, you know," He began fumbling with his fingers now. "A bit… different than usual?"

_Different?_ Roxas furrowed his brows, not quite understanding what his buddy was trying to say to him. He crossed his arms and thought for a moment about the way the black-haired woman had been acting, but nothing in particular seemed to strike him as acting 'a bit different than usual'. Tifa seemed relatively normal from his point of view, anyway. But _then again…_ He remembered that of the four in their group, Pence happened to be the one closest to Tifa. He was to be the future owner of the TFFS! He was her one and only apprentice! If there was someone in the entire slums that knew almost everything there was to know about Tifa and her craft, it would have to be Pence.

"I don't know," said Roxas, being completely honest, "I mean, she seems the same to me…"

Pence scratched his head, looking as though he knew he was about to regret was he was going to say next: "It's not just me, you know. Hayner and Olette think so too."

"They do?"

"She seems… almost _obsessed_ with you."

Roxas blinked again, this time feeling a little bit uncomfortable. "Uh… Excuse me?"

"Oh! Wait—No!" cried Pence, turning a distinct shade of pink, "That came out wrong! I meant that… that… _that_!"

"That…?"

"That… it's just that it seems like she's different!"

_Okaaaay…_ Roxas rolled his eyes. He knew they weren't getting anywhere with this. They were back to square one. The blonde couldn't understand what was so hard about just saying it bluntly and plainly. He wanted straight to the point for goodness sakes!

"In a good way?" asked the blonde, hoping to get a decent response this time.

"…I don't know," answered the rather flustered looking brunette. "She seems a lot happier and all, but… It's not like before. She's full of energy now… It's _nothing_ like how she was behind the cashier or in the kitchen all these years. She's _completely_ different from the way she's acted... Compared to how she is now, all those years seem for naught, and my apprenticeship feels so meaningless now. It's like there's a fire burning inside her now that had been longing to be lit for ages… and… I think _you_ sparked it."

"I think you're getting a little too deep there, Pence," laughed Roxas, but upon noticing the other's serious face, he stopped. "What are you trying to say…?"

This time the pudgy boy looked Roxas straight in the face: "I mean…Exactly what _are _you in Tifa's eyes? _Who_ are you, Roxas?"

* * *

"Roxas. Age… _Unknown?_ Birthday… _Not specified?_" announced a rather frustrated-looking young ninja master as she paced about the restricted area in Grand Hallway of the Struggle Dome. "Hobbies… None in particular? Status… Homeless? Location… None? Work… Classified—?" At this Yuffie angrily threw down the chart she had been reading over and over again for the past three hours. "How can there be no _fucking_ information about this prick in the records? I only get his name and a picture? No weaknesses? No likes or dislikes? _Nothing?_ How are we going to pinpoint this kid on our map…? _And _getting a hold of Tifa is practically impossible! As soon as I get my hands on that little brat, I'm going to make sure he gets kicked out of this city—!"

"Can't you shut _up_?" groaned Axel, tossing over in the tiny couch that was situated not too far from where his master was screaming. "Stop that damn ranting… How's a guy supposed to get some shuteye with you screaming like the lunatic you are…? I feel damn sorry for whoever your parents are or _were_ (I won't be surprised if they're already dead). And _besides_, the only person who's going to get his hands on Roxas is _me_. He's fighting _me_. Not you, all right?"

"W-_What?_" gapped the ninja, stopping where she stood, "He _punched_ you, Axel! Shouldn't you be in, like, _shock_ or something? We could easily find this kid and ship him to work in the outer camps if we wanted to!"

"That if _I _wanted to, master," replied the redhead, simply, "Not_ we_. Whatever _I_ say goes, and _I_ say that Roxas and I'll settle our differences in the rink. All I've been fighting for the past couple years have been craptastic wannabe fighters, so I'm kinda glad this Roxas-kid showed up. Heh… He seems pretty strong for a little guy so you better not mess with him. Oh—And he's _mine_, Yuffie. If anyone's gonna beat him up, it's gonna be me. Got it memorized…?"

Axel's laidback attitude threw the ninja into an even worse tantrum than ever before. Her eyes threw bombs at her pupil with every word he spoke. How she _longed_ to take her shuriken and slice and dice the ignorant redhead into itty-bitty pieces. Unfortunately for her, though, doing so would lead to some rather horrible outcomes to her already aggravated little life, so instead, she took her anger out on the tables and chairs that stood in her way as she stomped around the room. If one were to happen to waltz into that gigantic hallway at that particular moment, it could be certain that he or she might be killed on the spot.

Emerald eyes blinked behind heavy lids as he watched Yuffie vandalize the room through her uncontrollable rage. It was quite entertaining, really. So much so, actually, that Axel was beginning to wake up from his dazed-like state of mind. Without as much as another thought, the young master sat up on the couch and stretched his long arms. He must have dozed off for about an hour before Yuffie had stormed into the room and ruined his afternoon nap; he felt well rested despite all the high-pitched screams (he was already used to it). He yawned. Nothing in the entire world seemed to penetrate the thoughts that seemed to flood through his mind at that moment. It was like standing up too fast and feeling all the blood rush to your head, only, for Axel, a bunch of random memories seemed to flood into his somewhat empty noggin.

Half mindedly, the redhead fingered the side of his face that the young blonde had bruised up. It didn't hurt as much as it did about an hour ago, and the swelling had apparently gone down since he took refuge in the confines of the Stadium Hall. It was hard to believe that _that_ little runt was the one who actually marked up his face as badly as it was. _I might have to do some extra training…_ he thought to himself, trying to visualize his future fight with Roxas. _Heh… That kid might actually _beat_ me-_

"You're _such_ a loser," stated a cold voice, one of a girl, from the far end of the hallway.

"You caused quite the ruckus today, didn't you?" inquired another voice, on of a man, but a lot more soft spoken than the girl's crisp ones. "I thought you might have died by the shock and humiliation of it all, but… I have to say, I'm quite disappointed."

Yuffie suddenly broke from her tantrum at the mere sound of their voices, and blinked, looking up toward the two people who were walking leisurely toward them. Axel didn't even _want_ look at the two. It was bad enough that he had to deal with Yuffie's senseless ranting, but now he would have to deal with the Demon Siblings as well. The redhead had to admit, though, he knew the new rumors about him would spark interest in the hearts of both Larxene and Marluxia.

Word travels fast, and the Clover's Family seemed to _always_ be ahead of everyone else when it came to gossip (there just didn't seem to be anything better to do). As the more prominent demon of the Demon Siblings, Larxene _always_ wanted to be the first person to wreak havoc and quickly spread even _worse_ rumors about the one already being gossiped about. This time around, though, it was a _major_ plus. Her victim would be the great Axel of the Diamond's Family. The mere thought of tearing down the redhead's great image was like the sweetest candy melting lusciously within her mouth. Marluxia, unlike his sister, didn't have such horrible intentions as Larxene, but he _did_ have a major knack for wanting to know the real story behind the rumors. One could almost call him a ruthless interrogator when it came down to it. Despite his feminine appearance and his strange obsession with roses, Marluxia's eyes held deeper and darker secrets that even Larxene could only speculate about.

"What brings you two here?" asked Yuffie, furrowing her brows.

Larxene leaned against the back of the couch Axel had been lying against only moments before, a wry smile upon her pale face as she spoke: "Isn't it obvious?" she mused, fingers playing with her blonde antennas (her hair, in other words), "We just wanted to see if Axel's alright. You know, his health and happiness are just _so_ important to my brother and I."

_Damn them,_ thought the redhead, biting his lip as he listened to each evil intended word that came from her lips. _What the hell is she up to now…_

Marluxia, too, leaned against the back of the couch, but his violet eyes were only glued to the back of Axel's head. He thought nothing of the young ninja, and found no reason to reply to her.

"Oh," said Yuffie, anger beginning to bubble again, "Isn't that _nice_ of the both you… But I'm _sure_ Axel can handle himself—!"

"…Is that so?" inquired Marluxia, eyes still attached to the redhead. "Well, then, I suppose you wouldn't want the information we found about the mysterious blonde boy that has just appeared before you…?"

Axel, who had been facing the opposite direction of the two, finally glanced back. His emerald eyes glinted the moment his eyes met theirs. What ever they were up to, he _knew_ it wasn't good.

"Y-You found information on Roxas…?" gapped Yuffie, anger completely abating, "What? Tell us!"

Larxene frowned. "We're not talking to _you_ peasant," growled the woman, obviously startling the little ninja, "Now, Axel, we'd like to make you a little proposition."

By this time, Axel has already turned his body so that he was staring straight into the faces of both of them. He shrugged his shoulders. Not only did he know that the proposition was not going to be in his favor, but he also saw this coming. Larxene's damn 'propositions'. In actuality, they weren't even propositions at all! They were closer to threats and demands than a simple proposition.

"No thanks," he replied, scratching the back of his head. "I've had enough of _propositions_. I'm going to beat the runt in the Tournament, and that's that. Prelim's start tomorrow, so I'll observe him myself. Would you people just _mind your own business?_ He's _my_ opponent."

The siblings looked between each other, obviously stunned at the other's response. There were two things that caught their attention about his reply: the first thing, being that they had hoped for a reaction more in their favor, and second thing, they had _never_ seen Axel seem this adamant and sure about what he wanted to do before. _Never _had they seen Axel this possessive about wanting to do his own thing. It made them think twice about how they had perceived the situation. To be able to get the heir of Diamonds and Struggle Champion's attention? What _was_ this 'Roxas' to Axel…?

"Interesting…" chuckled Marluxia, swinging his long hair behind his shoulder. "Then we'll just leave it to you. _But_ we suggest that you tell the paparazzi to stop following him around… A certain _someone_ just might stumble upon the rumor as we have, and it will be the end for that opponent of yours."

Larxene sighed. "You're quite lucky Xemnas doesn't read the newspaper _or_ watch TV… but if he finds out—"

"Hold it!" stammered Axel, staring horrified at the two of them. "How do you know about Xemnas and…?"

"You don't give us enough credit, do you?"

"We know _everything_ that happens in this city."

Axel swallowed.

"You're lucky that we don't spread rumors that only _we_ know about," said the brother, shaking his head.

"And that boy's lucky he has both Tifa _and_ Leon on his side," laughed the sister, turning toward the door. "Funny though… Why do you suppose they're on his side to begin with?"

"Sister, dear, no fibbing," teased Marluxia, a smile across his face. "But I say, you _do_ have a point… To have two people in very high _and_ very safe places on your side; it would have to mean that you're hiding a rather horrible secret, wouldn't you think so, Axel?"

Axel shrugged his shoulders once more, feeling a bit annoyed by their act. "You know something," he stated, knowing very well that that was the response they were looking for.

The two smirked almost simultaneously, "We don't."

And with that said, they both turned and left the room, leaving Axel a _lot_ more curious about the blonde than ever before. Yuffie, on the other hand, who had kept silent the whole conversation through was completely lost in translation. Her mind was blank as she looked at her pupil. Not a single thing either Larxene or Marluxia said seemed to process properly in her mind…

"Let's start training now," said Axel, making the most serious face Yuffie had ever seen on the redhead's quirky face.

"W-_What_?" croaked the ninja. Her voice was already tired from all the strain she put into it, "It's almost 10! I'm _exhausted_! _And_ you're not even fighting until the last day of the Tournament! You're the reigning champion _remember_? You don't need to train, I mean, you're strong enough to beat _anyone_—"

Axel's emerald orbs pierced into Yuffie's dark ones, "Not anyone," he said, simply. "I can't beat Roxas the way I am now…"

"Hell-_o!_ Axel in there…? You haven't even _seen_ him fight!"

"Just shut _up_ and train me, dammit!"

* * *

Morning followed a lot quicker than anyone could have possibly anticipated. The first break of the sunlight over the horizon, and there were already hundreds of people flocking out into the streets. As early as it was, there were still a _lot_ of things to be done before the official start of the Struggle Tournament. The putting up of stands, the stocking up of items, and even buying one's ticket into the Stadium plagued the people's minds. It was all work, work, work for many of them, but at the very same time, they all enjoyed doing it. Unlike their everyday typical jobs in the stores and factories, _this_ sort of work was of their own choice. They loved it; there was no way you could see a dull look in their eyes. No, all of their eyes were glinting with pure excitement for the day ahead. Not only were people able to make their _own_ money, but they could also buy plenty of souvenirs, foods, and items for nearly half the price they were originally. It was _definitely_ a celebration to rejoice about. It was like the Christmas season for the people, but of course, Christmas was a much sweeter and family oriented event and the Struggle Tournament was in the middle of the year. What could be any better than that…?

Roxas, for the first time in his life, finally understood exactly why the Struggle Tournament was such a big event for everyone. It was so big in fact that the blonde almost felt like he missed half of his life not knowing or understanding what all the fuss was about. With nothing but pain, anguish, disappointment, and pure revenge etched into his life, it was only obvious that he'd be so immune to the life and happiness he had missed out for a good portion of his young life. Looking around at the crowded streets, smiling faces, and hearing the joyful songs of his long forgotten past, he actually had to bite back the tears that wanted to fall from his face. If he was to fight in this tournament and win, no sort of emotion should hinder him from his goal—that's how he felt. He had to be strong… For father, mother, Sora, and Naminé… This was for them and himself.

"Hey, Roxas?"

The blonde blinked, trying to pull himself back into reality. He turned around to face the group of friends that had come to cheer him on. Everyone was there: Tifa, Leon, Cid, Merlin, Mulan, Hayner, Olette, and even Pence! Due to the opening of the Stadium, the TFFS was closed. There were so many places where you could buy food that were cheaper _and_ nearer to the Stadium that it would be bad business and a waste of time to open during such an occasion. For this reason, Pence was finally allowed to join the group on their outing, and much to his liking, he was allowed to eat whatever he wanted as long as it wasn't entirely too expensive. Roxas had taken the liberty of sharing Pence's inner feelings with Tifa, and thus the woman thought the little guy really deserved a reward.

"Quit dawdling, Rox!" exclaimed Pence, carrying a large package of popcorn in one hand and an extra-large coke in the other. "You're gonna get left behind!"

Roxas jogged toward them, "Sorry," he said, feeling a wee bit silly about daydreaming like that. "It's been a while since I've felt this way…" At this, the blonde flashed an honest smile at all of them. It was a child's smile. Honest and pure. One that most of them had never seen on his face. For Tifa and Leon, however, it had been years since they'd last seen such a smile. It made the two of them smile back.

"You should smile like that more often," said Olette, smiling as well, "It suits you a lot better than your usual scowl."

"No way!" interjected Hayner, laughing, " Don't listen to her, Rox. Loads of chicks would be after you if you keep that scowl. It's pure _classic._ Chick dig bad boy material! I mean, take me for example."

Olette frowned, "Please, Hayner. Save it."

"Aren't you guys forgetting something?" asked Pence, interrupting the two of them, "Roxas ain't into girls, remember…?"

"That's right!"

Hayner rumpled the back of his head, "Well… in that case, I _guess_ smiling like that will get you popular with the guys… You _do_ look girly enough…"

Roxas shrugged. He had a feeling that comment was going to come into the conversation at one point or another. He had had about enough of their nonsense, and no longer fought back. _They can think what they want,_ he thought, hopelessly. It was annoying, really, but the blonde had completely given up in trying to convince them otherwise. It was pointless to even try.

"Are we ready yet?" inquired Tifa, feeling a bit of pity towards Roxas. "We're almost at the Stadium Gate. Everyone stay together, all right? No getting lost." The last comment was evidently directed toward Leon because the man suddenly looked away, face appearing somewhat flustered. "Oh, and Roxas, can you come and stand beside me? You'll need to sign a few papers before we're let in."

He blinked. "Papers?"

Hayner placed a hand on Roxas's shoulder, "You know, _the_ paperwork! Basically, they just want your signature that you're okay with the probability of getting killed. Y'know what I mean? So that there's no lawsuit or suing or crap like that if you _do_ get killed, though, that probability is really low. Still there's always a chance you get paired with a mass murderer… and _then_ you're in trouble."

The blonde furrowed his brows, feeling a little bit unsure of himself. Hearing it like that made him feel at least a little bit worried about what he was getting himself into, but the moment he laid eyes on the Stadium Gate, all of the fears he had washed away like they had never been there to begin with. The Gate was _enormous_, and an amazing sight to behold. Compared to the massive size of the gate, Roxas felt like an ant, but at the very same time he felt an odd sort of strength fill him every step he took near it. The mere thought of the fact that Cloud, his father, once the head of the Heart's Family was enough to bring back the honor and strength from deep within him. He knew what he had to do, and he was going to do everything he could to fulfill it. He was going to win his father's title… no one else. He was going to take back the title from Axel, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

By the time the group got to the entrance of the blue gate, it was plain to see that there were thousand, perhaps millions, of people lined up already to enter. What most people would think were early birds weren't. A majority of the people already there, had slept at the foot of the gate for almost three days waiting for the Tournament to start. Thankfully for Roxas's group however, they were allowed to be let in first simply because he was a participant. The bright Stadium badge that was pinned to his jacket told everyone that. There were no complaints from the audience as Roxas signed the sheet and they all walked into the Stadium without having to wait in line _or_ buy a ticket.

The lot of them, with Tifa leading the way, walked into the seemly empty Stadium. Truthfully, it only _seemed_ empty because of the massive size of the place, but in actuality, there were already thousands of participants getting ready in their respective rooms and there were thousands more lining up for final inspection before being allowed to join the Tournament. Every year almost half of the supposed participants that sign up for the Struggle Tournament ended up getting kicked out because of fake assessments and frauds. It's a good thing that time when they do such offenses is festive, because had they done so on a regular day, they could find themselves serving time in Redemption Hall. And considering that Roxas's registration papers were all forged under Leon's name, there was still a _slight_ chance he could be kicked out too. It was _slight_ though, but if he were to win the tournament under those registration forms… it _could_ cause a thorough investigation. Both Leon and Tifa figured they'd deal with that when that time came, but for the time being, they just hoped and prayed that their plans would make it through stage one…

The dark-haired beauty led them all into the main hallway, and then into the participant's lounge where she left Roxas, Hayner, Olette, and Mulan. The grown ups (and oldies), on the other hand, made both Roxas and Mulan sign a few papers before they walking out of the room to line up for the final inspection. Considering the number of people who entered the tournament, it was almost certain that it would take a few hours before they were all cleared and ready to be let into the Stadium's Preliminary Stage rink. As soon as they had left the room, the younger generation immediately took to the couches and even went as far as raid the free snack bar. Pence never looked happier than he was that day…

"Man!" shouted Hayner, as he sat on the couch next to Mulan, "I miss all this freebie stuff… Maybe I should have joined this year too. Had I know _you_ were participating to, Mulan, I'd have signed up with you. Cid was willing to be my sponsor too… This _sucks_!"

Mulan frowned. "Joining the Tournament isn't about getting freebie, Hayner…" was her reply, "If you look at it like that, you'd be wiped out of the prelims in the first round."

Both Olette and Pence chuckled, knowing very well that that's _exactly_ what happened to Hayner the previous year's Tournament. The dirty blonde shot glares at his friends before crossing his arms. The boy didn't open his mouth to speak after that. The humiliation was a bit too much to his pride.

"Anyway," coughed Roxas, interrupting the pleasant mood, "I hope everything goes alright… The paperwork I mean."

At this Mulan looked at the blonde, kind eyes trying to comfort him. "Don't be so nervous," she told him, "I'm sure everything will be fine… Not that it matters, but Merlin _did_ tell me this morning that you'd get help from a rather unexpected place… Then again, you know how that old man is."

The three others laughed out loud; remembering how strange the white-bearded, spectacled old man could get at times. His visions, although were sometime obscure, somehow always happened. Whether it was because he's a fortuneteller, a really lucky person, or real magician, they could only speculate, but one thing they knew for sure was how weird and quirky the guy could get. It was entertaining just watching him run around his shop every day with that frantic look in his beady eyes. Merlin really was a great ally to all of them, and an even greater friend. It was great just sitting there and reminiscing about all those interesting times they had whenever the old guy was around. There was never a dull moment when he was there.

"Oh yeah!" exclaimed Olette, clasping her hands together, "Remember when your hair caught on fire when you didn't listen to Merlin's directions, Hayner?"

Hayner's wide, laughing face suddenly transformed into a horrible scowl the moment the girl brought _that_ particular event up again. Apparently the boy had been trying very hard to forget that time, and Olette had done pretty darn good job of helping him remember once more. Had she not been a girl, the dirty blonde probably would have brutally strangled her to death. She was lucky she was a girl. Pretty _darn_ lucky.

"Aw, come on," teased Pence, nudging Hayner, "You know Olette's only playing with you… What's up with you lately? You're always getting angry at her…"

Hayner's bit of red seemed to scrawl upon his face the moment his pudgy little friend pointed this out to him. "W-What are you talking about?" he sputtered, turning his face away so that no one could see. "She just annoys the heck out of me!"

Olette frowned, "I do? You should have said so to begin with then!" At this she crossed her arms, and then turned to Roxas. "He's sexist! That's what he is."

"I don't think that's the case," implied Mulan, leaning over to take a closer look at the flustered boy. The moment she realized what it was, a sly grin spread across her face, "_Ah…_So _that's_ how it is, huh…?"

"T-That's how what is…?" said Hayner, voice somewhat small, "Quit it! Don't get to close! There's nothing… She just bugs me! I don't like her."

"Uhuh… _Suuure…_So then why's your face all red?"

Both Pence and Roxas looked between each other and then back at Hayner, their faces completely shocked at what Mulan had just realized. Unlike Olette, who at the moment only had a one tracked mind, the two boys knew _exactly_ what a red-faced, shy looking Hayner meant. This wasn't normal. This was almost legendary! Both Roxas and Pence even rushed out of their seats and toward Hayner (who was now evidently covering his face) just to get a good look at if what the dark, short-haired girl said was true. _Could it possibly be…?_ That was the only question that seemed to run through all of their minds as they tried prying the other's hands from his face.

"Leave me alone!" he cried out.

"I can't believe it!" shouted Pence, finally catching a glimpse of the crimson red, flustered face that was Hayner. "Is it true…?"

Roxas finally managed to pull his buddy's hands from his face, and saw for himself the embarrassed and humiliated look that was upon the boy's face.

"Oh my…" gasped Mulan, blinking. "I was right."

Olette furrowed her brows. "What's going on?"

"Hayner's got a crush on—!"

At this, the dirty blonde tackled his two best pals to the ground, to stop them from spilling the beans. It's one thing for girls to tell other girls their secrets, but for guys…? Well, when it comes to love toward two close friends, Roxas and Pence can't help but tell! It was almost like an obligation. They both mutually agreed that it would not only aggravate Hayner like no other, but they could actually _see_ them as couple. It was possible! They always fought like a bickering couple, anyway… The possibilities!

"Shut _up_ will you!" cried Hayner, looking almost frightened. "Don't. I'll never consider you guys my true buds if you even _dare_!"

Pence gave Hayner the puppy-eyes. "Aww… Come on!" he urged, almost pleadingly. "_Please_…?"

"Ha ha ha… Yeah right!" growled Hayner, straightening himself up before getting back into his proper seat. "Say a _word_ and I'll kill you."

"A word."

Hayner frowned, crossing his arms. "That ain't a funny, guys."

Roxas, Pence, Mulan, and Olette looked at each other and then back at Hayner.

"Uhm… What ain't funny?" inquired Olette, scratching her head.

A deeper shade of red spread across his face the moment he heard the girl's voice.

"None of your business," shouted Hayner, then shot glares back at both Roxas and Pence, "Who's the wise guy who tried being funny with me?"

Roxas shook his head. "Neither of us even opened our mouths, Hayner."

The blood began boiling within the dirty blonde's system once more. "The _hell?_ You think I'm stupid or some shit, guys? I just want you to be effing honest with me!"

"Honest with you—?"

"YES! Honest with me! Now which one of you thought it would have been funny to get technical with me—?"

Just before Hayner was about to explode like an over pressured pimple, someone from somewhere began clapping his or her hands in a rather slow, droning way. Sure, there were other people in the lounge, but none of them were in very close vicinity of where the current party was lounging. They hadn't noticed anyone approach them, but they were pretty darn sure that the clapping sound was directed toward the dirty blonde's exaggerate rage.

Confused and otherwise befuddled, each of them glanced around the room, but found no one near enough to be able to clap as loud as the one that was reverberating now. It seemed as though the person who would be clapping would be right beside them, but wherever they looked, there wasn't a single person around. It wasn't until someone from the far end of the lounge finally pointed the source of odd clapping sound.

"Look!" the random participant cried out, "Up there! It's Sir Axel!"

The silent lounge room suddenly became alive with murmurs, screams, and even shouts as more and more people noticed the redhead's presence amongst them. Roxas's party, upon realizing that there was a second floor (a private floor, no doubt) to their lounge room immediately spotted Axel from the open window of the second floor lounge. The large lounge room (like of the rest of the Stadium), with its wide walls and tall ceiling, was enough to make _anyone _lose their sense of proportion. Axel's redhair stood out like a red sheep in a herd of blue monkeys, that each person thought it was somewhat ridiculous that they had not noticed him there from the very beginning.

"Took you long enough to notice I was here," said Axel, simply, before jumping from the second floor window down into the main lounge. Many of the participants of the Tournament stood up to get a better look at the redhead superstar, taking out their cell phones and cameras in hope of getting some good exclusive shots. "I thought it would be a _lot _harder to find you than this… But I suppose owe this little loud mouthed friend for helping me."

It wasn't hard to realize whom the redhead was talking to as he walked toward the party, completely ignoring the camera flashes (he got used to them with time). A rather wicked smile formed across Axel's thin face as he took one step after another, closer and closer toward the group. Emerald orbs were staring straight into those of sapphire, and neither one blinked. The redhead looked like a hungry lion about ready to pounce upon his prey, but with due respect, the blonde, too, looked like an equally fierce wolf ready to defend and counter at a moment's notice. Amid all the chaos that seemed to go on within the lounge, the only thing Axel could see was Roxas. None of the blonde's friends were even visible in his sight. He was solely interested in one person, the very same person who revived the fighting spirit that had died so long ago. Even as Hayner stepped in Axel's way, the redhead didn't even notice him. The heir of Diamonds merely pushed Hayner aside before finally coming face to face with his destined opponent.

"H-Hey!" shouted Hayner, about ready to jump Axel for not even acknowledging that he was there. "What the _hell's_ your problem?"

Roxas shook his head at Hayner before staring intently back at Axel. "What do _you_ want?"

"Just want to wish you luck in the Tournament," said the redhead, his wicked smile never faltering. He then raised his hand as if to offer a handshake. "Don't go losing on me in the first round, got that, pipsqueak?"

"Huh?" Gapped Pence, looking from Axel and then to Roxas, "Aren't you supposed to hate his guts…?"

Axel finally tore his gaze from Roxas in order to get a good look at Pence. _Eh… At least I'm not as fat as he is…_ he thought, sucking in his stomach from inside his overcoat. "What makes you think I'd hate this kid's guts, uh…?"

"The name's Pence."

"Pence, got it," mused Axel, scratching his head. "Well, you know what? I think you got the wrong idea. I just wanted to wish Roxas good luck."

This time it was Hayner's turn, only this time he blurted out the very thing that Roxas had told him _not_ to: "B-But Roxas _punched_ you_—_!"

"No, he didn't," interrupted Axel, emerald eyes staring darkly at Hayner. His eyes were evidently telling the other to 'shut up, or else'. "That was just a stupid rumor made up by some random idiot."

Axel was fully aware that there were a good number of people gathered around them now, and he made sure that each one of them recorded his words. In all honesty, the redhead thought he was pretty damn brilliant for thinking this up himself. _This_ would definitely change the stories about Roxas, and keep the paparazzi off his ass for the time being. Everyone within the group seemed to understand what Axel was trying to do, except for Hayner and Roxas. Hayner was just as thick headed as usual, so it was only obvious that he'd never get it till they told him point blank, but Roxas just couldn't understand why Axel was doing this for him. _There gotta be something behind this,_ he convinced himself as he watched the redhead continue to twist the story more and more.

"Anyway, Roxas _did_ punch me, wouldn't I have ordered someone to send him out of the city by now…?" laughed Axel, looking around at the crowd who obediently nodded and laughed in agreement with everything the redhead said.

"No, you wouldn't," interjected Olette, fully understand his act behind the act. "You're too nice, Axel."

Axel blinked, and found himself staring into the face of the girl he had met by accident almost a week ago. "You're that girl, aren't you? I never got your name…" he asked, looking a bit closer at the girl. She wore much better clothes now than he had last saw her, "How's Wantzy?"

"Fine, thanks," she replied with a smile. "And my name's Olette."

_Olette, huh? Kinda sounds like Omelet._ "Pretty name," he lied.

"Stop flirting with her!" growled an even enraged-looking Hayner, Mulan had to actually restrain the boy so that he wouldn't attack the redhead. "You… _You_…!"

Axel rolled his eyes. _Oh gawd, get a grip Romeo._ "Interesting friends you got," stated Axel, emerald eyes turning back to Roxas again. "Can I talk to you in private?"

"Whatever you want to say, you can say it now."

The redhead frowned. He didn't like having to repeat himself, and he especially hated it when his orders weren't followed immediately. "Come on," he groaned, taking the blonde by the wrist and almost literally dragging him out of the lounge room, up the stairs, and into his private second floor lounge room.

Everything just seemed to happen so fast for everyone else, that no one had the chance to react to what had just occurred. Even the crowd that had gathered around the group just to get a glimpse of Axel didn't even move or bother to catch the whole thing on camera or cell phone. Their brains were completely wracked with wondering who the _heck_ that kid was that was able to get Axel's undivided attention. The questions 'why couldn't it be me?' seemed to worm their way throughout the crowd.

"Uhm…" murmured Mulan, looking at everyone else's bewildered expressions. "Anyone mind telling me what just happened exactly?"

To. Be. Continued.

I know. Lame lame lame lame!! Kill me! I might change the ending later... I don't know yet. The chapter just seems too short! I'm so used to doing long chapters... The chapters is INCREDIBLY short compared to what I'm used... 25 pages only... I'm 5 pages short of the last chapter. Oh well... R+R? I'd like some feedback on what you all think, please!

Next Chapter: The Struggle Tournament BEGINS!! How does Roxas fair in his first fight...? And what this...? The Heart's Family heirloom is finally revealed and given back to the true successor to Cloud's name? What could it be...?? Next time on...VIVID PROMISE!


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary:** (AU) Losing his family, Roxas is driven to a life of revenge against the very Aristocratic family he was born and raised in. Axel finds himself trapped in a loop hole between what he wants and where he knows he should be. Can he stop Roxas from making the biggest mistake of his entire life...?

**Author's Notes:** He he he... Sorry guys. This chapter took a while to write cause I'm trying to catch up in my first year in college. Nursing isn't the kind of course that would let a person have all the free time in the world. A lot of my schedule is booked, but I managed to finish this! Sorry for the long wait. I hope you'll all forgive me. Thanks for the favorites and watches... I wish people would leave comments though, so I know what you guys think. Haha xD. Especially for this chapter... I don't think it's that good. -sigh- But it's more of a set up chapter for the next couple. Don't be too excited about this one, folks... xD!

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Chapter 7: Sideline Affairs

_What the _hell_ did I get myself into this time…?_

From the very moment Axel opened the door into his private, second story waiting room, the glimmer, flash, and sparkle of millions of lights had already spilled into Roxas' tiny retinas. It felt as though he had just walked into a photography studio filled with dozens of steamy camera lights, ready to take his photo for some sort of X-rated magazine. The blonde actually had to close his eyes and allow the redhead to lead him silently into the room. Being blinded by the lights made him feel relatively uncomfortable so he tried shielding his eyes with his hands, like a visor. Despite his efforts, though, it still took him a good few seconds before his eyes finally adjusted to the odd brightness. When his eyes _did_ adjust, though, Roxas found himself gapping in awe at the sight before him.

It hadn't been bright camera lights that did the blinding… Instead, there were bright diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and any other sort of gemstones you could think of, illuminated by the electrical lights that hide behind them. It was the glare of these stones along with the gold, silver, and bronze items that seemed to decorate the luxurious waiting room that blinded the boy. This room was like a hidden treasure trove. If thieves and bandits knew about this place, the blonde was sure they'd try to sneak up here. They'd be rich with just a small diamond off chandelier that dangled purposelessly above him! _What's with the chandelier anyway…?_ He thought, glumly, i_t's not like this room isn't bright enough already_.

"W-Woah…" whispered Roxas, as Axel leisurely locked the door behind him before sitting down on one of the silk-spread couches. Truth be told, it seemed almost a century since the blonde had ever been near _anything_ luxurious. Gold? Silver? Diamond rings? Sapphire statues…? These things had been stripped from his mind after years out on the street. How long had it been since he saw things like this? It wasn't like greed had consumed our hero; it was more like a faint reminiscent feeling that seemed to fill him… He couldn't help but remember the family he lost, the house he used to live in, and the life he once had… Water had begun to well up beneath those sapphire eyes of his, but they immediately disappeared the moment his eyes met those of emerald—Axel had been observing him, curiously.

"What?" interjected the blonde, defiantly.

Axel shook his head then rested his chin on his arm. The redhead seemed quite amused with Roxas. He was pretty content, not that it really made any sense to him. Axel had never, once, been content in his entire life. How could he be content now…? _Well, whatever,_ he thought it was a pretty stupid thing to dwell and just went on smirking at the blonde.

Roxas furrowed his brows; trying his best control his desire for revenge. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Shh," hushed the redhead, placing a finger to his lips. "I'll start when you stop looking at me as though you want to kill me."

_It's that obvious…?_ Roxas frowned; not really wanting to stop glaring at the other, but complied by turning his head away. Instead of having his full attention toward the Heir before him, he began inspecting the room around him. Despite it being the first time within this room, it felt somewhat familiar… Somewhat nostalgic. It didn't occur to him, though, that he had (maybe) been in this room before when he was just a baby—Roxas was pretty sure that wasn't the case.

"What kind of room is this…?" muttered the blonde. The uneasy silence had finally driven him to speak. Having small talk with Axel was really the last thing on earth he wanted to do right now.

Axel leaned forward a bit, emerald eyes still inspecting the other, "Consider yourself lucky, kid-o, you are only one of _very_ few who didn't have to become the Struggle Champion to see the likes of this place."

Sapphire orbs jolted back at the redhead. Roxas's expressions appeared almost shocked to hear this news. Just by the other's description, the blonde already knew what sort of place this was. How could he _not_ know what sort of place this was? Axel need to not say more. This place… This enchanted room… had been the very same room he had always _dreamed_ of seeing during his childhood. His father, Cloud, had always told wondrous stories about this place… How many memories his father had in this place, Roxas didn't know, but what he _did_ know was that he was standing in the exact same place that his father (most likely) has also stood so long ago… He couldn't believe his ears. Nor could he even believe what he was seeing. This time, he glanced about the room in a frantic sort of way, and in every place he looked, he saw a ghost of Cloud—remnants of him left behind… The blonde felt that he could almost cry.

The Heir of the Diamonds had been watching Roxas the entire time, and it sort of shocked him how hard the blonde had taken what he had said. He was pretty sure that he knew what the kid was thinking—_I mean, he punched my lights out just because I dissed Cloud!_ Axel figured if he put two and two together that this would be a way to mend things between them. In all honesty, he wanted Roxas to be his ultimate rival in the rink. He wanted to be _sure_ the kid would make it all the way to the final round so that they could fight without restrictions or any hard feelings. Even though the redhead hadn't seen the blonde fight, he was pretty darn sure of the kid's ability. Let's call it, Axel's intuition. He got that part of him from his father, much to his distaste.

"Come here, just for a sec," said Axel, getting up from where he sat and towards another door that had been hidden from Roxas's sight until just now. "There's something I want to show you."

Without much of a thought, the blonde obeyed, but the moment he saw the redhead reach into his pocket to take out a bundle of keys, Roxas stopped. "What is it?" he asked, skeptically. "T-Try anything funny and I won't hesitate to kill you—" _Shit!_ He cut off his sentence. He let his emotions get the best of him once more:_ Why the hell'd I have to go and say that…?_

Despite the distressed state of mind the blonde was now in, Axel just laughed at the other's remark. "Kill me, huh?" He smirked, "Well, at least I know you're the honest type. Really think you can kill me, though? You'll be hunted down like a dog if you do."

Roxas said nothing in reply, merely watching as the redhead unlocked the door and opened it. There were no lights flickering in this room, it was pitch black, and it took Axel a while before he found the switch on the right side of the wall. _Buzz-t—BUZZ_. The light flickered for a few seconds before finally stabilizing. Roxas blinked and his mouth dropped open without him even realizing it did.

"So…" murmured Axel, smiling sheepishly as he scratched his head, "What do you think?"

The blonde couldn't even formulate words or syllables to answer the other's question. He was much too shocked to even _think_ properly! It had taken a few minutes before Roxas could even sink in what was going on around him… The images he saw on the wall, the trophies he saw hanging from the shelves… _Everything_ in that room had once belonged to the Struggle Champion, Cloud. What caught Roxas's attention most of all, though, was the item at the very center of the room, encased in glass. That was the very first thing Roxas approached. The reason why it had caught his attention above all else in that room was obvious…

The blonde placed he hands upon the glass case and peered cautiously inside, as though he were looking at something he was never meant to see. "I-It's…" sputtered Roxas, sapphire eyes shining, "It's _his_ sword… The legendary Buster Sword…"

"You're a bit of a fanatic, aren't you?" inquired the redhead, glancing around the room as though he didn't really care much for it. "I didn't even know the name of that thing!"

"It's not a 'thing'. It's Cloud's Sword."

"Uhuh… That's pretty elementary, kid."

Roxas could care less about whatever Axel was going on about. He didn't care if anyone thought he was mad or a freak or a fanatic. All he could care about at that moment was the fact that he was only inches from the very sword his father had used to defeat all of his opponents. _This_ was the legendary sword that carried Cloud to the top during each Tournament. The blonde couldn't be happier.

After a few brief moments of gawking at the sword, Roxas finally began scuttling around the room to inspect each and every item. He went from the trophies to the pictures, from the pictures to the medals, and from the medal to the posters, until he finally came to the other end of the room where there appeared to be a small, key-shaped hole in the wall. Curious about it, he peered inside the hole, but saw nothing but darkness. The blonde nearly forgot Axel was in the room too, staring at him, wondering what was _so_ great about Cloud. Despite the fact that Roxas didn't want to ask Axel for anything now that he had grown into this extremely sensational mood, the curiosity he had for this keyhole totally stumped him.

"Hey," called the blonde, showing no sign of respect for the Heir of the Diamonds. "What's this?"

Axel wandered over toward the blonde without much of a care in the world. The moment he spied eyes on the dark old keyhole Axel crossed his arms: "Oh, _that_ thing. It leads to another room in the back. Supposedly it was Cloud's private room, but when I went inside there wasn't even a bed or table. Not even a place to sit! There was only one thing interesting I found in that room—the rest of the place is pretty much empty."

"What was that one thing…?"

"A box."

Roxas furrowed his brows. "A box? The hec—?"

"Hey, I wasn't done yet!" cried the redhead, defensively. "It's a sealed box with a keyhole like _that_ (he pointed to the keyhole before them) one there. Thing is though, I don't have the key for it. It's never been found, nor has it ever been opened by anyone…"

Roxas's sapphire orbs glittered wondrously at the thought of the mysterious box. Sure, the thought of a plain old box in the midst of an empty room seemed pretty lame, but the mere fact that no one had ever been able to open it peaked the kid's curiosity. Images suddenly began to flood into the blonde's wracked brain… What could _possibly_ be inside of that box? If it had been locked away without a key or a way to open by any simple means, Roxas could almost be sure that whatever was inside was something _most_ valuable. It wasn't the value that caught his attention though… It was the fact that it was probably something really dear to his father… To have to lock it away like that… The blonde had never known anything about this box before… He was literally learning about a side of his father that he had only dreamed about …

It was probably the look on the blonde face or the sudden lift of tension between them that said it; Axel didn't even need to ask the kid if he wanted a look inside. Without a second thought, the redhead pulled out the bundle of keys once more and unlocked the keyhole-d wall. Unlike the previous two doors, this wall creaked like a mechanical one, and split diagonally like the kind of thing you'd see in the _Matrix_ or some high-tech video game. Amazingly enough, there happened to be at least four other doors that cranked automatically open behind the original wall-looking one. _Gee…_ thought Axel, staring down at what looked to be a relatively medium-length hallway. _That shit never ceases to amaze me._

Roxas led the way through the small hallway and into the empty-looking room. Axel wasn't kidding when he said the room had barely _anything _in it. Minus the little glass display at the center of the room, the room was pretty much bare. One couldn't even see where the lights were coming from; there were no obvious light bulbs or lamps… It was like the room was just naturally lit.

Axel remained at the hallway entrance as the blonde hovered toward the glass case, determined to see this 'box' for himself. Roxas could hardly contain himself the moment his sapphire orbs lay eyes on the object. He pressed his face to the glass and inspected the item all around as much as he could, as though he were waiting for the box to _do_ something. Oddly enough, it wasn't a spectacular-looking box… The thing was pretty ordinary, except for the mysterious little keyhole visibly seen on top of it.

"It's just a box, you know," called Axel, leaning against the wall, looking bored.

Roxas ignored him.

"If you want, I could let you have it."

It was that statement that caught his attention. "What?"

"You've gotta be the _biggest_ Cloud fan out there, Blondie," mused the redhead. "And there's _no_ way you'd be able to get that thing open anyhow. No one's been able to. Even Vexen couldn't manage to scratch the surface; he went on saying that the box's material wasn't 'of this world' or whatever. I always thought he was insane, though…"

Roxas stared back into the glass case, and was about to lift up the top to take the box when Axel pushed the cover back on. The blonde stared, feeling somewhat shocked, back at the redhead.

"I said _could_ let you have it," he repeated, a smirk digging in his long face once more.

Roxas frowned. "Jerk."

"Hey! You should clean that mouth of yours with a bar of soap! I wasn't done yet," interjected the other, "I have just a single condition before handing it over to you."

"_And_… That is…?"

"Be. My. Rival."

The blonde stared. "What…?"

Axel cleared his throat. "You deaf? You're planning on joining the Tournament, right?"

"Uhuh…"

"Well, I want you to make it to the final round, and fight against me. Clear enough for you yet?"

Roxas furrowed his brows.

"You're pretty thick with a capital TH, for your age," sighed Axel, rubbing the back of his head. "The thing is, I just don't want there to be any hard feelings between us when we take it out in the rink. You follow?"

Roxas shook his head.

Axel rolled his eyes, and this time decided to go for a more direct approach: "You." He pointed at Roxas's chest, "Hate me, right?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with—?"

"And I." This time Axel pointed at himself, "Want You." He pointed at Roxas once more, "To _not_ hate me." He said each phrase exaggeratingly slow, hoping that the blonde had _finally_ got the point.

By the end of this, Roxas got the point, but he was pretty annoyed with how stupid the other was making him out to be. The blonde wasn't a little kid! Axel didn't need to act like he had just come out of kindergarten! He crossed his arms, a look of pure confusion on his face.

"Why are trying to get me to not hate you…?"

Axel shrugged. "I don't know," he muttered, honestly. "It's just that you're the first one I've met who took things into his own hands without even thinking about the consequences… I mean, you could have to expelled out of the city for hitting me!"

"Are you trying to say that… _You're_ the one who covered for me?"

"I did… But that's not the point—!"

"Why?"

The two of them were now staring into each other's eyes. Directly face-to-face. Roxas was no longer glaring at the redhead, but instead, his eyes were full of wonder. He just couldn't understand what was going through the other's mind. He had been thinking so hard and so long—he had worked _so_ hard just to find a way to beat Axel to a pulp… To steal everything from this so-called terror to society: One of the Heirs to the Three Noble Families. He couldn't understand why the guy he had planned to bend all his revenge against was the one who stood before him now. The image of a bloodthirsty, maniac-like man that people praised and feared…was _this_ guy…? Was _this_ Axel? A guy who took notice of a simple street boy just because he socked him in the face…?

"I…" murmured Axel, blushing lightly. He turned away from those sapphire eyes and back at the hallway, "I was just—You know—I thought you were a lot like me. That's all… Well, I'm not saying I know you or anything… _But_ I could feel the distress and rage in that punch you gave me. I don't care what happened to you in the past that made you feel so strongly for Cloud. You could have had abusive parents, or maybe you were close with Cloud before, or maybe you're his long lost son—" Roxas swallowed. "—for all I care! It doesn't effing matter to me. I could just sense that you're in the Tournament for something more than just 'glory'. That's what set you apart from all of those weaklings downstairs. I _want_ to fight against you. I want to test that will of yours. I want to see how strong it really is."

Axel wasn't the type of guy to give a sermon, but the redhead just couldn't find any other way to express what he had been thinking about since yesterday. If he _didn't_ say it all in one shot like that, the guy was pretty darn sure his head would explode.

Roxas stared at the other for a while before responding, "So, you're basically saying that you want a fair and square match…?"

Axel sighed. "Basically."

The blonde, before responding at all, lifted the glass case and pulled out the small box. The box was so small that it could easily fit in the palm of his hand. He carefully looked at the thing before looking up, as though he were calculating whether or not to consider Axel's one condition.

After a long while, sapphire orbs glowed back up at Axel, "Alright. Fair and square. Nothing between us."

Axel's composure seemed to lift by hearing those words. "Really?"

"Yeah," replied Roxas, rubbing the box between his fingers. "But… I keep the box, right?"

After much negotiation, the two—although not really friends—finally wound their way back to the main, glamorous Champion's waiting room. Roxas once again had to shield his eyes from the bright lights and neon colors, while Axel, who had become quite accustomed to being blinded, merely scampered over to his favorite couch. This time, without as much as a grunt, the blonde followed and took a seat on the couch opposite the redhead. Axel had to literally hold himself back from teasing the young blonde… The kid looked absolutely ridiculous walking around almost bumping and tripping over things. It was quite amusing.

While Roxas was still busy rubbing his eyes, Axel took the initiative to strike conversation, "So, earlier on, I said I wanted to talk to you about something."

Roxas's mouth dropped open. "_What_…? I thought showing me all of Cloud's stuff was what you wanted to—"

"Nah, that's what I wanted to _show_ you," corrected the redhead, in a very matter-of-fact tone of voice, "There's still something I want to talk to you about."

Roxas frowned. This _definitely_ wasn't what the blonde had signed up to do when he accepted the terms in order to get his father's precious little box (whatever it was). "Is it something important…?"

Axel's emerald eyes suddenly sharpened. "_Crucial_. Your life depends on it"

_If it was so crucial why didn't you mention it to begin with?_ Roxas wanted to ask that so bad, but thought it might be rude. He didn't want to give the redhead any reason to take back the little box. In all honesty, the blonde just wanted to get out of there as quick as possible and _hope_ that Axel forgets about the thing so that blackmail wouldn't become a problem in the future.

The redhead took out several sheets of papers that had been placed out on the small table between the couches they sat in. Roxas hadn't noticed them there until Axel had moved forward and picked them up. The color of the paper was the same pale color as the table… It blended in like a chameleon did.

"What's that?"

Axel handed them over to the blonde, "Uh… They're your registration papers, Kid-o."

Roxas took the small stack of papers and glanced at the front cover. The first thing that caught little blondie's eye was the only color difference that could be seen on the page. Printed on a white background with solid black text, it wasn't that hard to see the extra-added element to the neat front cover of what seemed to be made by Leon's Company. The guy's signature had been marked at the bottom of the page, after all, so the blonde was pretty sure Leon was the one who did his paperwork for him. Despite all this though, that wasn't what caught his attention. The thing that had actually caught his eye was the large, red, rectangular stamp which had been diagonally pressed at the bottom right of the paper, right next to Leon's signature. It wasn't the color that drew him to it, though, it was the one word that the stamp said that made Roxas stare in disbelief and horror.

"…R-_Rejected_?" gapped Roxas.

"Yeah," stated Axel, crossing his legs and leaning his back against the couches' soft cushions. "I had that same reaction when I found your registration form in the rejected pile, but you'll understand why when you read your biography. Go ahead and turn the page. I'm kinda guessing you weren't the one who filled that out…right? That Leon-guy or whatever's got absolutely _no_ imagination. It was no wonder it took _so_ much longer to find you amongst all the character files—you weren't even _in_ the character files!"

Roxas flipped to the next page, and it was what he saw on the page that almost made him feel like melting. "…He left practically _all_ of my information blank," began the blonde, finding that the entire world was spinning around him. "What's the deal…? Does this mean I'm not in—?"

"Technically, yes," said Axel, but quickly continued upon seeing Roxas' hurt expression. "_But_ you've got the Heir of the Diamond's on your side. I've already signed you up and crap. You're in."

The blonde could almost jump Axel and kiss him! The guy actually got him in the tournament! From Roxas's perspective, the redhead didn't seem like such a bad guy anymore. It seemed hard to believe that only moments ago he had hated and detested everything about this man. But now, after all the things Axel went ahead and _did_ for him…? Was this truly the guy he had decided to get his revenge against…? _No,_ he thought, thinking back at it now, _I'm such an idiot letting my anger get the best of me…Axel had nothing to do with it to begin with. My real enemy… is and has always been…_

"Thanks," he sighed, settling the paperwork on his lap. "You don't know how much this Tournament means to me and my friends… I _honestly_ don't know how I'm going to repay—!"

"Woah, _woah_!" cried Axel, straightening up again, "Hold up a minute. I wasn't done."

"Done…? With what?"

"I wasn't don't explaining. _Geez._ What the fuck is it with you and interrupting people? Didn't your mom teach you any manners?"

The last comment was obviously meant to be sarcasm, so Roxas tried his best to understand it as such. It still stung him a little bit, no matter how hard he tried to cover it up. He couldn't help but see the image of Aerith in the back of his mind…

"Hey… Lighten up, it was just a joke," laughed the redhead, scratching his head. "Anyway, straight to the point. The thing is… Well—"

"Well…?"

"Shh! Don't rush me."

"R_iii_ght, sorry."

Axel frowned. "I just had trouble with finding out what job you had—That is, if you really _do_ have a job. I couldn't find you in our database at all, so I wasn't sure what to put. I could very well put in a fake one… It would send you to prison."

"B-But Leon said he picked something for me—!"

"You honestly think he did? You can go ahead an look again if you want, but, correct me if I'm wrong, I'm pretty damn sure he wrote 'Classified'."

Roxas shrugged his shoulders. Honestly, the kid didn't want to look. He was pretty damn sure that that was what Leon wrote as well. It wasn't that hard to guess, considering the only information given on the biography page was his first name and his picture. It was pretty lame.

"If I don't have a job," he began, sapphire eyes studying the other's emerald, "How'd you get me into the Tournament?"

"You see," explained the redhead, "That's _exactly_ what I've been wanting to talk to you about! The things is… I made one up for you."

The blonde stared. "You _what_?"

"You don't really have a job, do you?"

Roxas looked down and just barely shook his head.

"Well, I gave you one. It's a real one."

_Shit!_ _A real job?_ Roxas felt the urge to jump Axel and stab him with a knife now. What the hell was this guy's problem. Giving him a _real_ job? So that would mean he'd have to _work_ for _real_ now! What would Tifa say? What would Leon say? _This _wasn't part of the plan! He wasn't supposed to get a real job so that he could focus on his training… But now…?

"A real job." Repeat Roxas, mouth dry. He was pretty sure things couldn't possibly get any worse, "What?"

"…Well," mumbled Axel, eye twitching, "as a… uhm… personal servant to the House of Diamonds?"

Roxas froze, completely astonished by Axel's choice. _What the hell…?_ he cried silently to himself, _Do I honestly look ready to do hard labor? He expects me to work for HIM!?_ So much for all those good things he thought about this guy! It seemed like the redhead was just about to take advantage of him—use him and interrupt him so he wouldn't be able to train properly. So much for 'fair and square'!

"Hey…" murmured the redhead, spying that same glare returning to Roxas's eyes, "You're giving me that look again."

"Oh yeah?" retorted Roxas, "Well, it's a look I believe you well deserve."

"My gawd! Relax, would you? The 'servant-thing' is just a front!"

Roxas blinked. Glare dissipating, "Front?"

"Yeah, a front, _but_ I'm gonna have to ask you to come stay at the Mansion…"

Roxas stared.

"—It'll just be for a while," he added, quickly, "You know, just for the Tournament's sake. There'll be people coming to check and see if you're really a servant, so I can't have you wandering around somewhere else. You mess up, it's _my_ business now too."

"You're Axel's _what_—?"

Everyone, including Leon and Tifa, stared incredulously down at Roxas. Their penetrating eyes scrutinized him, asking unspoken questions and silent theories. They looked at him as though they weren't sure he really existed. Was this blonde-haired, blue-eyes boy standing before them the real deal? In their confused minds, it almost seemed possible to reach out and place their hand on the blonde, but to find that their fingers would slide right through him, like a projected image—like a _ghost_.

Honestly, it wasn't the best feeling the blonde had ever received from his fellow companions, but he _had_ expected a much worse reaction from the lot. Their subtle stares and gapping mouths were a lot less brutal than the possible outcomes that had played into his mind each time he practiced confessing all that had happened up in Axel's private waiting room. As soon as he was set free from the redhead's grasp, the whole group had ambushed him at the foot of the stairs and stormed out of the Tournament gates. Apparently they thought the blonde had just barely escaped unscathed from the Champion's _evil_ clutches. Both Leon and Tifa and brought everyone as far away from the Stadium as possible before actually hearing Roxas' side of the story.

"He made me a personal servant of the Diamond's," cried Roxas, exasperatedly, "I've said it four times now. How many times do you want me to repeat it?" _How many times do you want to shrink my self-esteem?_ He felt like digging a hole and hiding in it.

"But why?" gasped Tifa, looking from him then to Leon, "I thought you had all of Rox's paperwork completed—!"

Leon shrugged. "I— Well, yes and no," he admitted, much to Roxas's dismay. The blonde had hoped Leon didn't mean what he did. "I switched the originals last minute before submitting it—"

"You did _what?_"

Those were the exact words Roxas had longed to say himself, but apparently Hayner had gotten to it before him. Tifa read the dirty blonde's expression and turned her scrutinizing eyes to Leon.

"Explain yourself." She muttered, "We— No, _you_ owe Roxas an explanation."

Leon shrugged again, placing his right hand to his forehead just as he always did when he was suddenly bombarded with a good dose of stress. The man really disliked explanations, but he just_ knew_ he might have to explain himself…

"This wasn't supposed to happen," explained the man, massaging his temples. "After what happened yesterday, I didn't think it would be a good idea for him to enter this year—"

"'What happened yesterday'?" repeated Mulan, a question mark clearly readable on her face.

Roxas blinked. "You mean when I punched Axel's lights out…?"

Leon nodded, crossing his arms. "I thought it would bring unnecessary attention to you," he continued. "It was for your own safety that I thought not entering this year would be best." He paused for a while just so that everyone could take in what he was trying to say, but then started up again as soon as he saw Roxas about to speak, "I thought they would investigate your background more thoroughly because of the stunt you pulled… And doing _that_ would endanger everyone stand here right now—me included."

Roxas fell silent. His desire to be heard suddenly left him after _that _explanation.

"Apparently Leon's right," said Merlin, breaking the silence that had fallen upon everyone. He brought back the light spirits in the air with every word he spoke, "They _did_ research your background, sonny! It's a good thing Leon thought ahead of time, yes?"

Everyone nodded amongst themselves now, feeling the wave of doubt that had washed over them suddenly recede. Roxas was the only one who still felt a twingy bit of doubt, but he hid it behind a fake façade so as not to worry everyone else.

"Wait, hold on," murmured the blonde, feeling guilty about breaking their cheerful spirits. "If you didn't want me to enter the Tournament… Why didn't you just _tell_ me instead of submitting a fake form?" _For eff's sake! That would have saved me from Axel to begin with!_ He grimaced.

Leon looked sheepishly away, "I—I just didn't know how to put it into words… I thought that if the Tournament committee just turned you down I wouldn't have too—"

"But _now_ I'm stuck as a servant to the very people I _hate_ _and_ _detest_!"

That line, for some reason, turned the sides of Leon's lips upward into a rather sneaky grin. It was an odd reaction to Roxas's panicked one, and everyone could sense something strange behind the man's intentions.

"That's the things, Rox," Leon said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Axel did my job for me this time. I have to admit, I'm going to have to thank that brat one day…"

Everyone blinked. Roxas brushed the man's hand from his shoulder, "What's that supposed to mean?"

It was Tifa, instead of Leon, who butted into the conversation. "It means, Roxas, that we're going to begin our move. You're now in the closest position you'll _ever_ be to the Families of Nobility… I'm _sure_ Leon talked to you about this—About your _real_ job after the Tournament?"

Roxas stared, shocked by what he was hearing. "This is it?"

"You'll just have to find a way to _keep_ that job _after_ the Tournament starts," explained Leon again, brushing some loose strands of hair from his face. "But taking it seriously, even_ I_ don't think I'd have been able to get you _that_ close to the Families. Perhaps a local garbage guy for that street… But no where _near_ the inside of their mansions. I can see all the possibilities now… You'll be in direct contact of them _all._"

Tifa, Leon, and Merlin nodded in perfect unison. Everyone else just looked between them, utterly and honestly confused by the secret lingo that was going on between the adults and Roxas.

"Hey," exclaimed Pence, catching the sneaky looks in their eyes, "Don't _we_ get in on this too?"

Olette, who had been standing next to Hayner the whole time, shrugged: "Don't worry about it, Pence. Just leave the grown ups alone. Let them sort out their problems…"

Hayner gave the brunette girl 'the look'. His expression revealing almost no trace of the affection and jealousy that he had when Axel had suddenly sprawled into the picture. "Since when has _Roxas_ been a grown up?" he blurted.

Roxas's eyes narrowed, but refrained from snapping back.

This reaction, much of Hayner's dislike, was not what he had expected. The dirty blonde had thought his comment would brighten the mood, but it actually had the opposite affect. Behind all the fun and games, Roxas knew that now wasn't the time for any sort of comeback. _Maybe later,_ he thought, sinisterly. He'd be sure to get the guy back later. He was _sure _of it. He _swore_ he would. It would be an insult to his peasant life if he didn't.

"You're really gonna do it?" questioned Pence, twirling what seemed to be a stick of jerky between his fingers. Free food was open to everyone during Tournament Days, but they were mostly the cheap fingers foods. "The servant thing?"

The blonde shrugged. "I don't have much of a choice."

"Hey," interrupted a rather agitated looking Mulan. She had been feeling left out of the entire conversation since Axel had appeared. No one had even paid her any mind when she asked to be filled in about what was going on. "There's _always_ a choice." Tifa and Leon shot glances at Mulan, but the tomboyish girl wasn't even fazed. "What?" she gapped, crossing her arms. "Am I wrong? I _may_ not know what you people are talking about, but I know when I should butt in."

"This doesn't concern you," griped Tifa, placing a hand on her pupil's small shoulder. "Now, Roxas, what else did you want to talk to us about…? I can't believe that man even allowed you up there—It's against policy. Even _he'd_ get punished for breaking tradition."

It was this that made Roxas grin. After his short, personal encounter with Axel, he had felt a slight connection with the redhead. The rage and hatred that had far exceeded any other emotion before now gushed with excited anticipation for their round about in the rink. He held respect for the Heir of Diamonds, now… Something neither Tifa nor Leon nor even _Merlin_ expected.

"I can't believe it either," he admitted, "Oh yeah! I almost forgot—he also let me have this…" His voice trailed the moment he pulled out the small box for all to see.

The box itself wasn't all that magnificent, but for some reason, the aura that seemed to cloud around it gave off an eerie sense of mystery. Pence, Hayner, and Olette were the first of the group to rush forward and get a closer look. Mulan, being a bit more composed than the others, stayed where she was, only observing from afar. With all the excitement buzzing around, no one seemed to notice as Leon and Tifa gave warning glances toward each other the moment they spied the peculiar box. Merlin, on the other hand, seemed to be the only one without a care in the world—either the box seemed relatively uninteresting to the kook, or the old man already knew what was inside of it…

"What _is_ it?" gawked Pence, grabbing it away from Roxas out of sheer curiosity.

Hayner crossed his arms. "It's a box. Big deal."

"Oh!" gasped Olette, leaning over Hayner's shoulder to get a better look. The boy seemed to stiffen the moment he felt Olette's body a little too close for comfort. "There's a keyhole on top." She then glanced back at Roxas, "Do you have the key?"

The blonde shrugged. "No. I don't have the key."

"Eh…? He didn't give it to you?"

"You're kidding, right? What's the use in that?"

"Shoot, Hayner, be sensible." Explained Olette, "There _are_ other ways of opening a box. We could just crush the thing and pry it open that way, you know?"

Even though that _did_ sound like a rather promising idea, Olette's words made him shudder at the mere thought of breaking the little, innocent box. It was tiny in comparison to any object the blonde had ever seen or owned. He couldn't imagine what kind of object would be hidden inside of it. _If only I had the key_, he thought with a grimace. The thought of Axel lying to him about not having the key drifted into his mind, but he shrugged it away. The redhead had proven himself today, and Roxas was trying his best to keep the Heir of Diamonds out of the revenge, rage, anger, and guilt emotion he had had up until their talk. It was amazing how different people really were when you got to know them. First impressions never do a person justice.

Thinking back on the tiny box, Roxas frowned. "I don't want you ruining it into pieces, guys," he stated, simply, taking the box away from Pence as though it were the most precious thing in the world. "And Axel said that even _Vexen_ wasn't able to open it up."

Everyone gawked the name. Vexen. As each letter seemed to cross through their minds, an uncertain shudder went through each of them. Vexen… was the second most dangerous and psychotic people in the city. He was a _mad_ scientist. Not just mad in the sense that he was crazy, but he was _mad_. Mad at the world. Mad at the people, the things, the animals… _Everything_. Including himself. He desired and longed to know how everything ticks… And it frustrated him if he could get something done right. For _Vexen_ not to be able to open it… With all his high tech gadgets and ideas, it was less likely that any of them could get that thing open by force. Crushing it and smashing probably wouldn't work. They all knew that now. Simply because Vexen would have already done that… and most likely done _other_ things to try and pry the box open, but to no avail.

They stared in wonder at this box. It was such a mystery…

"Do you know what's in it?" questioned Mulan, stepping up on her tiptoes to see passed Hayner (whose puberty had finally kicked in).

Roxas shook his head.

The younger portion of the group all seemed to shrug. Only Tifa, Leon, and Merlin seemed to act oblivious and completely innocent about it.

"Do you know _who_ it belonged to at least…?" Asked Tifa, a peak of curiosity and worry in her voice.

Roxas turned to his beautiful sponsor in surprise. The tone in her voice had caught him off guard… As though she knew _exactly_ what the box was, what was in it, and whom it belonged to. No one else seemed to notice this, at least not obviously, for Leon refused to meet eyes with the boy's sapphire ones.

"I do…" he murmured, suspicious. _Very_ suspicious. "It belonged to Cloud… It's supposedly his 'most prized possession'. At least, that's what I heard from Axel."

How strange it felt! Saying Axel's name so easily and without any hint of spite in it. He spoke as if they'd been good friends for a while now, as if it were the most normal thing in the entire world.

Leon had grit his teeth every time he heard the name… He didn't like the way Roxas was acting now. It was different. _Much_ different from that time, not so long ago, where they had discussed the 'plan' in that girlish, purple, starred tent… It made him nervous, but he wasn't exactly sure why. Sure, he had an idea that _perhaps_ this unexpected friendship might divert their original plant… but Roxas was the son of Cloud. The man _believed_ in him.

"For real?" gapped Hayner, peering at the tiny box, "Now I'm _hella_ curious. Open it!"

"We need a key," responded Roxas, hopelessly.

"Screw the key! Can't we break the box? Puh-_lease_…?"

That was about the time Olette whacked the dirty blonde upside the head, bursting into one of her famous Hayner-you're-such-an-idiot speeches. She sneaked a glance a Roxas to give him a little wink before she continued fuming. Roxas laughed, thankful that he had Olette around to keep the bluntest of the bunch in check. Pence also giggled at the pair, noting how compatible the two would be as a couple. As in a _married_ couple—not that any of them would ever have that kind of money for a marriage ceremony. It didn't hurt to dream though, right?

"Hey," interrupted Leon, looking more irritated than usual. "Sorry to ruin the fun, but it's just about curfew hour. You kids ought to run home before patrol comes around. They get antsy around this time of the year, if you remember."

Hayner, Pence, Roxas, Olette, and Mulan all frowned at the very same time. Tifa merely crossed her arms, cocking an eyebrow. Adolescents… They thought a like. The elder ones (Tifa, Leon, and Merlin) acted, practically, like substitute parents. Although Pence and Mulan still had their own back home, they still had their street family. It was heartbreaking every time curfew time was just around the corner… They hated being separated—especially Pence. Mulan was a bit older than the boy, so she managed to handle it well, but Pence? He felt like his heart was rendered every time. He despised feeling left out all the time… What did he miss during the night when Roxas, Hayner, and Olette were up in their little shacks? They were all neighbors, after all, so it was easy to sneak into each other's places just to crash and have a good time without patrol ever giving them a second thought… They were officially labeled as street kids. They didn't know any better. At least, that's what the higher ups thought…

"Well," he shrugged, disappointment evident in his voice. "I guess that means I have to split. My mom's gonna kill me if don't make it there on time…"

Mulan placed a hand on Pence's stubby shoulder, comfortingly. "I'll go with you—You live near Pride Rock Street, right? That's just a couple blocks from the Dragon District."

Pence's eyes lightened up at Mulan's offer and quickly accepted. The two were off within a few seconds after saying their goodbyes, disappearing around the corner.

"You two should head off, too," stated Leon, pointedly, referencing to Olette and Hayner. "It's getting dark."

Roxas blinked, but said nothing. He already got the message. He was going to get _another_ lecture. Both Tifa and Leon wanted him alone so they could pull their full wrath upon his very existence. He gulped, trying not to thinking about it. His sapphire eyes looked, longingly, toward his two friends, hoping they'd insist on waiting for him. He didn't want to handle this stress by himself. It was just… too stressful.

"What about—?" Olette was just about to ask about Roxas when Hayner tugged at her arm with just enough force to wind her. She stopped. "What was _that_ for?" she cried, kicking the boy in the shin. "You're _such_ an ass!"

For a split second, agony seemed to flutter across his face, but was gone in the next moment. "Shut _up_," he muttered. He obviously looked like he didn't want to say that to her, but couldn't help it any more, "Just come _on!_ All right? You're such a baby."

"B-Baby?" She mouthed the word, "Well, ex_cuse_ _ME_! I was just worried about Roxas."

"Rox isn't a child. And you're not his keeper."

"Never said I _was_."

"Sure, _sounds_ like you are."

Hayner's tone was sarcastic, at best. He had nothing against Roxas, really, but he couldn't find any other way to gather Olette's attention at the moment. Unbeknown to the girl, both of them were wafting away from Tifa, Leon, Roxas, and Merlin, following Hayner with great contempt and rage.

"You're _impossible!_" she gasped, stomping ahead of him, disappearing behind the opposite corner Mulan and Pence had disappeared to not long before. "_Impossible!_ Hear me?!" From what the others could see, Olette threw what looked like a rock from behind the corner… hitting Hayner straight in the face.

"_FUCK!_" he shouted, "What the _hell's_ your deal?"

That was the last thing he said before he too disappeared to catch up with the girl. He ran, so one would probably guess she was trying to run as far away from him as possible. This spectacle disturbed Roxas more than it should have. He didn't like seeing his friends fight. As in, seriously fight, like that. Fun little fights were okay, especially when it came to those two, but if Olette was mad enough to throw something hard at Hayner… She was _really_ hurt. That upset Roxas. He didn't like the idea of tomboyish Olette getting hurt. It wasn't like her. What the _heck_ was going on between those two these days? Because of the plan, the Tournament, and Axel, Roxas finally felt the after affects of not being able to spend time with them as much… It hurt slightly. He could relate with Pence better now.

"Oh ho ho!" squeaked Merlin, totally breaking Roxas's thoughts, "I can see the chemistry in them!" Roxas frowned. _That_ was obvious. Merlin caught the blonde's eye and coughed, "Come, come now. No frowning… It isn't good for the body." He paused a moment to glance at Leon. The man merely nodded his head and Merlin immediately started up again, "I'll follow the little love birds on their way home then. Who _knows_ what kind of things might happen… Without adult supervision, I mean."

Roxas shivered. Merlin's twisted smile kind of freaked him out. This kook was just plain _weird_ thinking that kind of stuff. Was he some sort of D.O.M…? He shuddered this time. It was oddly discomforting… This new revelation. Despite it, he merely watched as Merlin skipped happily away from them to catch up with Hayner and Olette. Roxas held his head to try and keep out the strange images that began formulating in his overly ecstatic imagination.

"Roxas…?" murmured Tifa. She had finally torn her eyes away from the jolly Merlin, "Are you feeling alright?"

Roxas shook himself back to reality. "Huh—? Oh. Yeah, I'm fine." He lied between his teeth, trying not to think about Merlin. "So… Uh—What did I do this time…?"

Tifa blinked, almost laughing. "Nothing," she said, warmly, "What makes you think you did something wrong?"

"I dunno…" he mumbled. "Then… What's up?"

Tifa opened her mouth to speak, but it was Leon who got to it before her. His words were crisper than any potato chip: "It's the box."

Leon had said it so matter of fact-ly that anyone would have thought the idea was so obvious. Roxas shuffled his feet impatiently; he didn't know what it was… but he knew there was something different about Leon. It was odd. He didn't like the way the man looked at him now… It felt like they didn't know each other anymore…

"The box…?" repeated the blonde, staring down at the tiny thing held in the palm of his hand. "You know what's inside it?"

At this remark Tifa smirked, her eyes bright. "More than that, Rox," she explained, crossing her arms. "We happen to have the key."

It was hard to tell whether Roxas' mouth was wide open because he was stunned or whether it was because he was shocked. The words that came from Tifa's lips were not the ones he had been expecting to hear. He had thought she would give him yet _another_ long lecture about not being around Axel in such a vulnerable position, but the turn and gleam in her eyes held a good portion of smugness behind them.

"We have the key?"

Leon nodded, but said nothing in reply.

"Where is it…?"

Tifa smiled. "Right there," she said, pointing directly at Roxas.

Roxas blinked. "What? Tifa, I'm being serious…"

"And so are we, Roxas," interjected Leon, standing to face Roxas in full. The guy had been standing in a somewhat awkward position, sideward, through most of the night when he looked at the blonde.

Roxas stared, dumbfounded by what they were trying to tell them. None of it seemed to make _any_ sense at all.

"What are you trying to say?" he asked, looking between them.

"It's _you_, Rox…" murmured Tifa, taking a deep breathe. "You're the key."

To. Be. Continued.

Told you it wasn't much... haha xD. Nothing really happens. But... Well, oh well.

Next chapter: Okay, the Tournament's REALLY going to start this time, and Roxas visits Axel's mansion...? :O What could be inside of that box...? NEXT TIME ON VIVID PROMISE!


	9. Chapter 8

**Summary:** (AU) Losing his family, Roxas is driven to a life of revenge against the very Aristocratic family he was born and raised in. Axel finds himself trapped in a loop hole between what he wants and where he knows he should be. Can he stop Roxas from making the biggest mistake of his entire life...?

**Author's Notes: **Yay!! I was finally able to write a chapter in a shorter amount of times. My midterms are over and done with... I guess this chapter is a result of all the after stress I needed to release xD. Thanks everyone for the support through your watches, favorites, and especially your reviews. I hope you'll all keep reading! I'm getting to the point in the fic where I'll start taking request chapters of what you'd like to see in between. I'll let you know when those chapters decidedly come up. Hehe! And if you're interested leave me a review and tell me about what you'd like to see happen between Roxas and Axel. Hehe. Thanks and again everyone!

**Chapter 8: The Preliminaries**

_You're the key, Roxas…_

"What a load of bull," griped Roxas, turning over in his makeshift 'bed'. It wasn't much of a bed, really. Not even a cot. It was more like a mat covered by what looked like a blanket consisting of dozens of thrown out and forgotten coats and jackets sewn together. Well, at least the thing did its job, right?

Shrugging, he ducked his blonde little head into his makeshift 'blanket' or 'janket' and snuggled closer to the mat beneath him. There wasn't much comfort because of the hard, rocky soil his shelter had been built on, but it did keep the rain and cold out—of course, that didn't count the mud that would seep in uncontrollably during those undesirable days—but it was enough. He let out another sigh, and just barely poked his head out of the blanket to get a glimpse of the sun's rays penetrating the thin layer of curtain that served as his door _and_ doorway. _Ugh… Morning already?_ He thought glumly, stretching out his limbs and sitting up. Just as he sat up, something that had been resting against his chest while he slept suddenly plopped down onto the rough, powered floor just beside him.

Instinctively, Roxas went to grab it, but stopped short the moment his sapphire orbs saw what it was. He wrinkled his nose in irritation: the tiny black box lay there innocent, basking in the morning sun through the drapes. _Hey,_ the boy's mind was talking to the box, _you're such a pain, you know that?_

"Tifa says I can get you open," he muttered, out loud this time, "But, fuck, you're just trying to make it really hard for me, aren't you?"

The box stood still. Seemingly shining brighter with a touch of smugness. Roxas almost felt like he was losing his mind now. Reluctantly, he picked up the tiny box and placed it in the palm of his hand, peering angrily at the inanimate object.

"What's your secret…?" he murmured, more to himself than to the box. "Leon said Cloud made it especially for _me_… Is that true? Come'on… _please?_ Can't you just open up? Do I have to say or do something?" Roxas stood up; his pleading was beginning to get really serious now. "Okay, how about: 'Open sesame'…?"

He stared at the black box as though he expected something to happen…

Obviously nothing did.

"Do I have to get on my hands and knees—?"

An abrupt knock on the side of his shack cut his sentence short. The shack, itself, shuddered slightly at the heavy pounding on the scrap metal that made up its framework. Roxas felt his face grow hot as Hayner slipped through the curtain-doorway, eyes warily eyeing the box still propped in the other's hand.

"Naw, Roxas, I'd never ask you to get on your hands and knees for me," he said, smirk forming on his tanned features. "Although, I'm sure Axel wouldn't mind you doing that for him. You know how all them nobles are. You might have to scrub the fungus from between his toes or something. Heh."

"Shut it, would you?" scathed Roxas. "I don't need to hear_ that_ first thing in the morning."

Hayner backed off, instantly. "Yeah, sure," he muttered, "Figure out to open it yet?"

"No."

"I'm hoping you figure it out real soon… Or people'll start thinking you've gone mad. You know? I could hear you all the way from _my_ place!"

Roxas shrugged. He wasn't really surprised or embarrassed to hear this from his best street buddy. The boy actually had a good idea of the kind of ruckus he was making on their small little path-side (it wasn't quite a street or a lane); their little houses weren't made to keep out sound, after all.

Ignoring the dirty-blonde that had invaded his not-so-private room, Roxas pocketed the box and stalked out of the dinky space and into the welcome sunlight. It must have just turned six because the sun was still low just barely above the distant mountains from what he could make out beyond the trees. Despite the fact he hadn't gained much shuteye the night before, he felt quite well rested and ready for the oncoming day. In truth, the boy had stayed up till almost 3 AM trying to figure out the mystery behind the little black box secured within his pocket. He ended up falling asleep on the job with little progress. Fatigue and weariness _should_ have overtaken him by now, but he actually felt ready for practically anything. Whatever was thrown at him, he'd take down. That was for certain, and that included the afternoon's preliminary rounds at the Stadium.

Hayner followed suit as his best bud stepped out into the light. They stood there for a while in utter silence, just admiring the open air and silent morning before trudging in the direction of the TFFS. They walked on in mutual silence. It was _much_ too early for squabbling and their stomachs were rumbling loudly, like a volcano about ready to erupt. Grouchy, irritated, and hungry… Those are probably the worse circumstances you could find yourself when it came to facing those two. They were growing boys after all; they knew when it was time for fun and games and when it wasn't. Food was a _very_ high priority. Actually, it was number 1.

They took no time to glance around at the sereneness of the slums around them as they made their way down the path… The place they lived wasn't your typical slums, of course, one had to get that straight first. Because of Roxas and his friends' efforts, their slums area was extremely clean and vastly full of greenery. There were always street kids who made rounds just to keep the place clean and safe for the younger ones—for street kids, they were all excruciatingly responsible. More so than most kids locked up in their rooms given everything they could ever want or need at the flick of their wrist. Mainly, this change was all due of Roxas' efforts. He would never claim any credit for it, though—he really didn't have/need to. Everyone there looked up to him. He was a big brother to every kid here, and a blessing to every adult who knew him…

"Morning, Roxas!"

Both Hayner and Roxas spun around to see Pence skipping some distance behind them. His round face was rose-y due to the slight chill morning air as he raced toward them. He seemed cheerful enough, hazel eyes smiling as he approached his two buddies.

"Morning, Pence," greeted Roxas, slightly monotonous. It was obvious he wasn't as cheerful in the morning as the brunette. "You eat yet?"

Pence shook his head. "Nope," he exclaimed proudly, "Tifa says she's got a new breakfast menu for us to taste this morning."

The boys had to gulp so that they wouldn't drown in their own saliva at the mere thought of a new menu. The woman was a _genius_ when it came to food experimentations, and that was one of the things that she was teaching Pence. 'Be creative! Think out of the box,' they would always here her telling him from inside the small stand. She said it in such a positive way that each of the group, and possibly everyone in the slums area, had actually _tried_ making their own recipe. Tifa's words, the way she would look at you, and the accent in her tone was enough to make _anyone_ feel capable of doing anything. Pence was lucky to have such an inspiring master.

"Oh, by the way," added the brunette, "What's wrong with Olette, guys? She was acting a bit strange when I went to visit her this morning."

Roxas blinked. He had almost forgotten about the only female of their quad. Hayner, on the other hand, shrank back a bit; an odd expression creased into his forehead the moment the girl's name was mentioned. His reaction was so obvious, both Pence and Roxas were automatically able to jump to conclusions.

"What'd you do _now_?" muttered Roxas, ignoring the growling pains in his belly.

Hayner looked incredulously at his two friends. "Huh?" he gasped. Like a burglar caught in the middle of a theft. "Why do you guys _always_ think it has something to do with me?"

"Maybe because it always does."

"Not this time," he growled. "I'm starving! Just forget about her—"

"We can't just forget about our friend!" exclaimed Pence, eyes wide with shock. "_You're_ the one who's crushing on her. Shouldn't _you_ talk to her?"

"T-Talk to her?" sputtered Hayner, face turning bright red. "I _did_ talk to her! I did absolutely _nothing_ wrong, okay? Nada. Got it? She's just overreacting… like _all_ girls do."

"Overreacting about what?"

Roxas had been glancing between his two friends for some time, not knowing exactly when he could interrupt them. The intense looks on their faces and the heavy feel of the air made the blonde want to sink into the ground like he didn't even exist. He felt totally lost in their conversation that he hadn't notice Tifa approach the group. Roxas jumped the moment he heard her voice.

"Everything alright down here?" she asked, brown eyes glancing around at them in worry. "I could hear you guys from Stand…"

"Sorry," murmured Pence, "Hayner's just having girl problems."

Tifa looked over at Hayner, her expression amused.

"It's not like that—!"

"He told Olette he liked her," explained Roxas, crossing his arms. He had an idea of what was going on, despite being so lost in the conversation. He seemed to be able to read the 'signs' a lot better than Pence could. "So now, Olette's up in her room terrified cause she was confessed to." At this, he turned to Hayner, "That's what you meant by her 'just being a girl', am I right?"

Pence's jaw dropped open. "No. _Way_."

Hayner's face turned a bright crimson. _Yes way_ was more like it—especially with that guilty expression on his face.

Tifa, on the other hand, laughed at them. She was obviously getting her morning entertainment early: "Well, that's all fine and good, but I don't suppose you boy are getting hungry, are you? The food's about to get cold."

* * *

_Who would have thought?_

Axel shrugged lightly upon seeing his master in such a horribly tense mood that morning. Yuffie had quite literally burst into his room, through his window no less, just to wake him up and annoy him. It didn't help that the girl just continued pacing about like some lunatic scheming some diabolical scheme, and nor did it seem to help Axel's sour mood when she didn't even _greet _him as she charged in. It seemed like she just came in the room to annoy him with her mere presence. The ninja didn't even _look_ at him, much less talk to him since she'd been there. She just went pacing around, looking all serious, like she knew what she was doing.

It was irritating. Axel _wanted_ to have a good night's rest. He wanted it _so_ badly. He was a night person—not a morning person! He just wanted to sleep in every morning, and if it hadn't been for his loud-mouthed father, his idiotic servant, _and_ this spunky little ninja master, he'd have slept in practically every day! _Fuck!_ He thought, crossly, emerald eyes following the girl's every step. _What the hell is everyone's problem? This is _my_ room! Everyone just keeps barging in like they can do whatever they want._ His mind continued cursing their existences with ever second that ticked on the diamond-shaped clock above his bed.

It was the exact moment the second hand hit 9 on the clock that Yuffie accidentally knocked over the shelf of Axel's favorite CD collection.

"Pl_ease_," he groaned, wincing at the sight of the strewn CD cases, "What did I do to deserve this from you…?"

It was this statement that caught Yuffie attention. Her head perked up at the very sound of his voice, as though she hadn't even realized the redhead had been in the room with her, and her eyes immediately searched for his green. Her face seemed worried, almost. Something that Axel hadn't been expecting to see on his master's usual smug face.

She opened her mouth to say something, but caught herself. Her eyes searched the redhead, eyebrows furrowed.

"Why are you giving me that look?" he inquired, suspicious, and then all of a sudden, a look of complete revulsion spread across his pale face. "Wait…Your not… _pregnant_, are you?"

Yuffie's face contorted, eye twitching erratically. "_What_?"

Axel scratched his head. "Uhm…"

"Care to say that again, _boy_?" she scathed, eyes gleaming dementedly.

"N-No, ma'am…" he gulped.

The ninja smirked and then resumed her pacing routine around the spacious room.

It seemed that Axel would just _have_ to turn a blind eye this time just in case the girl were to break anything else in this sort of state. Doing otherwise would probably result in some rather severe bruising and even _more_ of irritation than she was already producing. She probably hadn't even noticed that she'd knocked over his collection of precious albums! The redhead _tried_ looking at the situation in a different light. He was trying to think positive. If he were to interrupt her, it was probable that she'd sock him in the face; so sitting there was probably one of his smarter options. The other option would be to sneak out of his room and take refuge elsewhere until her tyranny came to an end. He didn't like the idea of leaving his room in the clutches of this madwoman… but… All bad things considered, though, there was, at least, _one_ positive thing that would result from this mayhem… _Demyx is gonna have one _hell_ of a time fixing up her mess._

Well, at least that's how the redhead saw it. It made him laugh about the situation now. To see Demyx in complete panic. That would be rich. _I'd pay money to see that_, he thought with a grin. _I'll probably give him a time limit too, just for the hell of it._ He'd have until 9 PM tonight. That was it. Axel had just about thought through his evil scheme to the finest detail until—

—_Crunch._

"M-My CD's!" he choked, pain evident in his voice. "What did _they_ ever do to you?"

Yuffie ignored him. _Crunch. Crunch._ Strutting around the place, arms crossed, as though she really had something serious on her mind to think about it. The redhead stared incredulously at his ignorant ninja. What had Axel's room become anyway? A brainstorming room? A venting room? A room to relax in? A room to hold your secret diabolical plans in…? It was really pissing him off now.

"BITCH!" he scowled, stomping out of the room, knowing very well how childish he must have looked. He honestly didn't care at the moment. He didn't care how out-of-character he was being towards this situation. He was _pissed. _Pissed to the point where he just wanted to be left alone. Pissed off to the point where he longed for someone to turn to just so he could act like a kid again. And who better to turn to than his silent, but comforting cousin…?

"Kairi!" he called, still stomping as he approached her room. His feet were so heavy against the marble floor it was possible that anyone downstairs would think there was an earthquake.

"HEY!" shouted a voice (obviously Axel's rambunctious father) from downstairs, "Keep that racket down! Luxord and I are in the middle of a _serious_ match right now. Quit stomping like the caribou you are, Demyx! We know you can't help it, but _please_ try, dammit!"

"M-Master!" gasped a second voice (obviously belonging to Demyx), "B-But I've been right here beside you…"

"'Ey, Luxord, did that kid talk back to me?"

There was a brief silence that took hold downstairs. Axel, however, continued stomping his heavy, caribou feet, pretty darn intent on making as much noise as possible as he made his way to Kairi's room. He was also pretty darn sure he knew what was going to happen next. It was usually those sudden silences in his house that… _Three, two, and one, _he thought, absentmindedly, and then—_BANG!_—and then:

"W-WAHHH! I-I'm s-s-s-sorry," whimpered Demyx, scrambling up the stairs from the right side of Axel's peripheral vision.

It was the moment he caught sight of the pale-looking Demyx that Axel sped up down the hall in a flash, doing his best to avoid being seen by the mohawked servant. He didn't need _another_ nuisance on his back. On a usual day, Demyx _always_ came to him whenever his father harassed him. He kind of wondered why Xigbar never actually shot the guy dead and got it over with… Axel had a half mind to do that part himself.

After turning the last corner toward the west wing of the Diamond's mansion, Axel finally slowed himself to a walk. It took him a few seconds before his heart rate finally returned to its normal lub-dub, lub-dub motion, but when it was finally all back to normal, he was already in sight of Kairi's doorway—and even Kairi, herself. Even before the redhead at reached the girl's room, his little cousin was already at the door. The doorway was ajar enough for her to poke her little head out to see what all the fuss was about outside. Her amethyst eyes stared quizzically back at her much taller cousin, before pushed the door open a bit more so he could come inside.

Axel actually stood staring at the girl for a while before allowing himself inside. Unlike his usual visits, there was something obviously different about Kairi this time. For one thing, her usual sad eyes were smiling a bit. The redhead had always called them _sad_ eyes for a reason—because they always looked so sad! But this time…? They looked… partially (just _partially_) happy for once. The second reason was the most obvious reason of the two because it had to do with her physical appearance. He couldn't see her usual red hair underneath the genuine pirate's hat she now wore. There was something about the hat that seemed… vaguely familiar.

"Hey, I remember that hat…Isn't that Captain Jack Sparrow's?"

Kairi stared up at Axel, looking almost astounded that he knew that name. She almost looked terrified… Like she'd just seen a ghost. It, also, almost looked like she wanted to say something, but she was fighting herself. He could see it in her face. For several brief moments, he saw her opening and closing her mouth, completely indecisive about what she should do. This was the very first time he had ever seen the girl in such a troubled state… Not only that, but the guy hadn't even really heard his cousin's voice before. When they became close, she had already lost her ability to speak…

"Woah," he stuttered, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Slow down, Kairi… I met him in a prison cell when I went to visit Xemnas last week. He gave that hat to me… I was actually supposed to give it back, but… well, things got out of hand."

The girl's amethyst eyes softened, and she looked down. She bit her lip. It seemed that the part of her that had wished to say something lost against her depression. Seeing this made Axel feel a little bit disappointed, yet guilty at the very same time about hoping to hear her voice. He hadn't been thinking about her feelings at all…

"Hey, Kairi," he said, hoping to make up for it, "You still have those bread sticks you got from your mom? I'm kinda in the mood for some right now."

All of a sudden, it was as though Kairi had had a shockwave flow through her: the girl's expression was back to the way it usually was. She removed Captain Sparrow's hat from her head and then let it fall to her side. She struggled for a while to look up at the redhead; from Axel's perspective, it almost looked like she was blinking back tears, but he wasn't entirely sure.

"Hey, Kai? You okay?"

After a few moments she, once again, looked up at her cousin. She smiled; the same old smile Axel was so used to seeing. It was so pure, so innocent, and appeared to be so honest… but when he started into her eyes… Those sad, amethyst eyes… Axel felt like he almost wanted to cry as well…

"Kairi?" he mumbled, turning away from her, "I think I'll skip the bread sticks for today…"

Her expression remained unchanged as she watched Axel leave her for the door. Just as he placed his hand on the doorknob, though, he turned back to look at her.

"You know, I really don't understand you… Why do you always have to carry the burden alone, Kai…?"

* * *

"Got everything?"

Sapphire eyes met those of glinting emerald. Olette's green eyes oddly reminded the blonde of a certain Heir of the Diamonds family—the color was so similar it made Roxas feel uncomfortable. The last thing he needed to remember, right now, was the imbecile who he was going to be working for starting tomorrow. Their meeting in the Champion's Waiting Room had discussed all of the little details of his new job, where he would be staying, and of how they were going to get his things from the slums to his new housing area. Not that the blonde owned very many things to begin with, but _that_ information was just a 'just-in-case' scenario.

The both of them stood in what appeared to be a large open-aired field area in front of the famous Struggle Stadium, just next to where the preliminary fights were about to take place. The lively music and excited chatter permeated the air making the festival season all the more festive. It was a happy occasion, and absolutely no one was going to miss their one chance in the entire year to have fun. There must be thousands of people wandering around, but they weren't in the mood or situation to go sightseeing. Roxas was here to fight, and he had to prepare for it both physically and mentally. He couldn't just stand there thinking about the outcome of his match, nor would thinking about moving into the Diamond mansion ease his nerves, but he had to prepare somehow.

"Anybody home?"

Roxas shook himself back into reality. "Oh. Yeah, I got everything."

Clutched in his left hand, he held what appeared to be a worn-out, makeshift suitcase, stuffed with what little clothes (or rags) he had, a comb, a makeshift toothbrush, and the blue friendship gem Olette, Hayner, and Pence had all chipped in to get their hands on for such an occasion. They had bought it for Roxas, especially since he would no longer be living in the little shack as their neighbor (except during his off days). They wanted to give him something that would remind him that he _still_ had a family out there. A very lovable street family at that. Their green, orange, red, and blue gemstones were a symbol of friendship—according to Pence.

Olette flashed him her spunky smile (the one that Hayner would have died to see), and then blinked the moment her eyes caught sight of the dangling object around her friend's neck.

"Isn't that…the box…?" she questioned, looking up Roxas like he was crazy. "Why do you have it around your neck?"

"Not _my_ idea," he blurted, defensively. "Tifa's making me. She's the one who attached the chain to it."

Olette cocked her head to one side. "Were there holes already holes in the box?"

"Well, yeah, Tifa pointed them out to me earlier…" he murmured, voice trailing off, finally understanding what she was thinking. "It was like the holes opened up the moment she touched the—"

"_Roxas_," stammered Tifa from behind him. The blonde winced at the tone in her voice. He knew he had spoken too much. "We're going to be late. If you'll _excuse_ us, Olette… Roxas has to get ready."

The brunette blinked, completely confused as to what was going on, but complied with Tifa's request. She gave Roxas one last hug and then went to find Pence (she still wasn't talking to Hayner), leaving Roxas alone with the beautiful Stand owner. Roxas struggled to stare his sponsor in the face, but somehow managed after a long while. Strangely enough, she wasn't looking at him with any sort of resentment whatsoever. Instead, she was beaming at him like he had just won the Struggle Tournament.

"You're growing up so fast," she murmured more to herself than to Roxas, but then followed up with a statement that was directed right at him: "You better keep that box around your neck, understand? It's crucial you do… Even _I_ don't know what will happen, but… It's Cloud we're talking about here. He _always _knew what he was doing—Well, almost always anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean…?" gapped Roxas, frowning, "Am I supposed to expect something to happen?"

Tifa's expression suddenly turned pensive. "Wouldn't hurt, would it? I did my part… I'm just worried that, at the time, he was just trying to be funny with me. We'll have to wait and see."

It was at this time that Leon, Merlin, and Mulan approached them. Each of their faces was lit with excitement and anticipation for the upcoming fights that day. The Struggle Tournament was _actually_ beginning today… Roxas could feel the butterflies fluttering around madly within his stomach. He could _hardly_ contain his excitement the moment he spotted the long, wooden box Leon and Mulan were carrying.

"Took a while to find it," explained Leon to Tifa, "It was stuffed in the back of the broom closet with a bunch of Merlin's scrolls—!"

"Ho! But tis safe and sound, nonetheless," Merlin pointed out, grinning, showing his crooked teeth at Roxas.

"This is the new sword?" gasped Roxas, staring wide-eyed at the wooden case.

They all nodded their heads, smiling proudly at the youngest. Leon and Mulan set the old box in front of Roxas, and proceeded to yank the boards off their rusted hinges. It creaked and groaned horribly with each straining motion they made thus causing several people passing by to wrinkle their noses in annoyance. The sound was death defying to the ears, but for Roxas, it was well worth the pain.

"Hell _yes_," squeaked the blonde. He didn't even wait for either Leon or Mulan to completely pull off the cover. The very first chance he got, Roxas dove his hands into the partially opened box, grabbed the hilt, and pulled out the sword. Despite his excitement, however, the moment he took notice of the weapon in his hands… his spirits plummeted. "T-_This_ is my sword?" he complained, looking around at it with disinterest.

The old thing looked pretty plain… _Nothing_ like what he'd expected a gift from his old man would be. It was ordinary. It wasn't something people would go 'ahh' and 'ohh' over. The hilt was a simple dark blue color with (what looked like) a plastic red gem pasted at the bottom of it surrounded by (what appeared to be) a painted gold rim. The blade, itself, wasn't brilliant-looking either. It was a straight, parallel edge on both sides that came together in a triangle at the tip—like a knight's sword. Roxas half-expected something like Cloud's sword… Something different… Something that stood out… Not _this_ old thing. And only closer inspection of the blade, it's edges appeared extremely dull. The blonde had a feeling that if he hit the blade against a rock it would break in half… His face paled at the thought of it.

"Easy there, Roxas," laughed Leon, reading his expression clearly. "I know it wasn't what you expected, but I'm sure Cloud had his reasons."

Roxas frowned. "Yeah. Number one reason would be not to win, apparently."

Tifa went ahead and smacked Roxas in the head for the insult. The blonde felt himself stumble by the impact, but caught himself before he could make a complete fool out of himself. He wasn't going to let anyone see him thrown to the floor because a girl hit him. No matter how much more experienced Tifa was, his pride as a man made him extremely bitter about this fact.

Just as Roxas was about to do some more mindless complaining about his lousy excuse of a sword, a loud screeching noise (even more death defying than the sound of the creaking wooden boards) broke out across the open field. The sound was so loud that it was easily heard over all of the loud banter, music, and screaming. Everyone stopped what it is they were doing, all eyes turning toward the large speakerphone at the center of the field. Someone was about to speak…

* * *

"Good afternoon, dirtbags!"

Axel's eye twitched at the sound of the announcer's gruff voice. He stared out of the announcer's booth warily eyeing the massive crowd below. If _he_ had been one of the many people in the audience, he would have been sure to complain about the Stadium's awful choice of a host. Philoctetes, or Phil (as he would always corrected people), had been the official announcer for the Struggle Tournament for what seemed like _centuries_ now. He was one of the prime symbols of all that was Struggling. One of three symbols to be exact; the other two being the original founders of the city, Horizon's End (now Rebirth): Mickey of the Court and Xehanort of the Battle. He was the only living symbol left, though, and that's what made Phil _exceptionally_ proud. And, from the screams and shouts of anticipation down below, it seemed that the people were also _exceptionally_ proud to have him.

The redhead cast a very stealthy glance at Phil while furrowing his brows. The old man was a wee bit more overweight than a guy at his age should be, and his rugged look made it look like he hadn't showered or groomed himself in the longest. Thankfully, there was no stench to compliment the look, so at least Axel knew the guy understood the importance of a bath from time to time. His uni-brow and hairy arms and chest (the guy had a thing for wearing low cut shirts) would make anyone feel uncomfortable, but here Axel was… sitting right next to him. If the young master had had any choice in the matter, he'd been downstairs, hiding out in his private room. Unfortunately for him, however, sitting on the other side of him was the Great Ninja Yuffie. There was no way to escape.

"…all participants please proceed to the west end of the Stadium. The rest of you, find a place where you won't get in the way, got that? That's all for now."

A rumble of laughter echoed from down below at this message, and Phil smirked with satisfaction at himself before switching off the 'on air' button and turning to his two guests. His expression was completely unreadable because of the oddly angry look in his eye, but he didn't do anything to further promote his questionable appearance.

"So," he began, clearing his throat in between, "I'm guessing you wanna send a message to your fans now, do yah?"

Axel shook his head, but it was Yuffie who answered him. "Yep! That's _exactly_ why we're here!"

Phil eyed the girl first before turning back to Axel. He shrugged, "Know what to say then, do yah?"

Axel once again shook his head; trying his best to keep Yuffie's loud mouth shut. Unfortunately though, the girl had already anticipated the redhead's resistance and had already gone ahead and wrote his entire speech on a piece of paper. She shoved it into her pupil's hands and gave Phil a rather dramatic thumbs up. Her expression looked almost ecstatic with her plan, it was then that Axel realized what the girl had been doing pacing around his room the whole time. She had been brainstorming for _his_ speech! She had wrecked havoc on his innocent room over a stupid _speech?_ He had to quite forcefully stop himself from throttling her over the head.

"So this is it, huh?" Phil didn't sound amused one bit, he merely glanced at the first word then turned back to his beloved microphone. It almost sounded like he had seen better, and it was the tone in his voice that pissed Yuffie off so much. Ignoring the fuming girl, Phil automatically hit the 'on air' button again and began to speak. "So, people—all you rabid Axel lovers—here's a few words from the one and only." The man then pulled the mic in the redhead's direction, a wry smirk across his wild face.

The silence that had been there merely a second ago suddenly erupted into a flurry of excitement. The audience's cheers turned to ultimate fan-girl screams at the mere mention of Axel's name. The noise was so much that it even made good-old-Phil feel a tiny bit jealous of the young master. They were supposed to be _his_ audience, but their cries were much more enthusiastic towards Axel than toward the announcer.

Axel gulped. He stared at the microphone and almost broke out into cold sweats. He wasn't much of a speech person. He _hated_ speeches, especially the ones he didn't think about himself. Yuffie was making him read off something _she_ wrote… It was probably going to _suck_ and he knew it before he even read through the thing once. He didn't want to sound gay! Yuffie's writing style was going to make him sound gay! He glared at his master.

"G-Good afternoon…" he began, speaking in the microphone. The whole crowd had already gone into a complete frenzy at the sound of his voice, but Axel ignored it—he was used to their lame screams by now. "Axel here. Uh…I just wanted to wish—"

He stopped short. He had read the next part of the sentence and felt like throwing up. _I just wanted to wish everyone a great game play today…?_ Wrinkling his forehead, he finally decided to trash Yuffie's speech. There was absolutely _no _way in _hell_ he was going to say this kind of shit in front of a live audience! He also knew exactly what kind of fool Larxene and Marluxia would make of him after this 'speech'. So, without as much a glance back at Yuffie, he crumpled up the paper and tossed it behind him, also ignoring the shocked look on her pale little face.

"Forget that last part," he said, nonchalantly, feeling a lot better now. "I'm just gonna make this simple: may the best man win. And to the saps that lose, all's fair in love and war, all right? No sore losers. You're all winners—in your own way—I _guess_." A roar of approval ran through the crowd at that moment, and even Phil was grinning at him now. "That's about all I wanna say so… oh yeah! Almost forgot. This message is for Blondie:"

Yuffie grabbed Axel's shoulders and dug her nails into his skin. Phil, on the other hand, looked like he hadn't been this amused in decades.

"You better not lose today," he continued, voice serious. The crowd had hushed, listening to his words… Probably all wondering whom this 'Blondie' was. "I'll be waiting for you in the arena. That's all."

At his last words, he finally handed the microphone back to Phil and then leaned back in his chair. He was grinning to himself, wondering with great curiosity what the reaction of Roxas' face was at that particular moment.

* * *

Roxas face looked completely _horrified_. No one would have ever thought one's eyes could grow so round until they saw the blonde's shocked expression. His eyes were as round as flying saucers, and his mouth hung indecently, drool just about to spill over. Tifa had to, once again, smack him in the head before he could finally think straight. It took him a full five minutes before the whole thing had actually begun to sink in. Axel had just sent him a 'secret' message over the air… in front of thousands and thousands of people! He felt his face grow hot, and sweat began drip like he had dumped a bucket of water over his face. He wasn't really embarrassed; he was actually just _extremely_ worried about Leon's reaction. Of everyone in their group, Leon had been the only one who was very doubtful about Axel's underlying motives. He was scared that the man would be mad at him because of the Heir of Diamond's carelessness.

"Don't worry about it," said Leon, sensing Roxas's worried gaze, "He didn't say your name. There's no way anyone would realize he was talking about you."

Roxas sighed with relief. The sweat that had seemed to be pouring profusely off his skin suddenly sank back into their pours, and their group finally took off down toward where Phil, the announcer, had told them to go. Both Leon and Tifa were more than familiar with these grounds, so they promptly informed the party that the west side of the field was where the multiple preliminary arenas would be. They also went and told both Mulan and Roxas that they'd have to go several cut throat tests to test their abilities before they get into the preliminary area. From what Tifa was describing, these cut throat tests cut out more than half of those who apply for the Struggle Tournament.

"Best of luck to you," said Roxas to Mulan as they approached the commissioners.

"You too," replied the warrior-woman, extending her hand to Roxas. "See you in the main matches, Roxas."

Roxas nodded, taking her hand into a firm shake. Mulan then looked back at Merlin, gave one last look at Roxas's party, and then took off toward one of the shorter lines with Merlin trailing not far behind her. When they had finally disappeared amongst the mingling crowds, Roxas found himself face to face with one of the commissioners.

"Name?" quirked the lady-commissioner named Rikku; her flashing attire and young appearance would have caught any struggler off guard. "Oh! It's Tifa, isn't it? Right this way! This way, _please_!" she exclaimed, eyes seeming to sparkle with awe at the sight of the legendary sponsor. She immediately directed them to an area completely different from the direction all the other strugglers were heading, and they followed her directions, Tifa leading the way this time.

"What's going on…?" mumbled Roxas, looking over his shoulder at the thousands in line for the pre-tests. "Where are we going?"

Tifa didn't say anything until they had turned their corner and gone through hallway no one could have possibly known was there unless you'd been through there many times before. When they had passed through the hallway, Roxas saw that they had entered into an area of field that was almost completely closed off by a bunch of tall spectator stands. A good majority of these stands were already filled, while there were people lined up at the only other entrance into this 'secluded' place. At the center of the spectator stands were about 10 different cemented arenas of different shapes and sizes. It was obvious what these people were here to see… They were here to see the preliminary fights. Roxas, Leon, and Tifa were already standing amidst the preliminary stages.

"It pays if your sponsor's well-known," explained Leon, crossing his arms.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Tifa looked down at Roxas, a hint of worry in her brown eyes. "It means you've already pass the pre-tests, Roxas…"

The blonde stared up at his sponsor as though there had been a blueberry pie slammed in his face. His stare was also equivalent to a person who had just been 'Punked', but on a much larger level. This was the real thing. It wasn't a joke like what they did to random people. Tifa was being dead serious about what she said, and _if_ what she said was a joke, she was definitely one hell of a kidder. He glanced around at the large space, sapphire eyes full of wonder.

"But I haven't even entered any tests—?"

Leon rumpled Roxas's spike-y hair. "Look, Roxas, you'll have to face the facts some time," he explained, shrugging, "Tifa's extremely well-known around the Struggle Stadium… Usually well-know sponsors pick only the best of the best. The sponsor's choice practically constitutes _your_ pre-test. You don't need to take it because they already know you're on a higher level."

Roxas glanced up at Tifa, feeling his face turn red.

"I chose you, Roxas," she said sternly, "and I'm not going to take that choice back. I know what you're capable of, and I'm sure Cloud would be proud of you."

"Even though he gave me this craptastic sword?"

They laughed in unison this time, each taking note of the seemingly ancient sword that was strapped to the blonde's back. The way he wore the sword was the exact same what he had seen his father wear his enormous Buster Sword… Of course, Roxas' dinky one didn't even _compare_ to what it must have looked like on Cloud's back, but it still made the blonde feel good about himself. It made him remember—really feel, almost—that he really _was_ the Heir of the Family of Hearts again.

"I'm sure there's a reason for the sword," admitted Tifa, inspecting the old thing from where she stood. "First there's the box and now there's the sword… I honestly don't know, Roxas. I _do_ know, however, that even though you're father wasn't the kind of person who liked the 'element of surprise, your _mother_ on the other hand… She always loved those kind of things. She _always_ seemed to have something up her sleeve… Something she wouldn't tell anyone until after it happened."

Roxas felt for the hilt of the sword and thought over Tifa's words. It struck him in such a way that the sword was starting to grow on him a bit more… He gripped the sword and then let go of it. This was the first time either Tifa or Leon had mentioned something specific about his mother. Especially ever since he had learned that they knew who his identity was and that their goal was to enter the Struggle Tournament, the blonde never thought that his mother would become a topic anywhere. From what he could remember about her, all he knew was that she was extremely soft-spoken and kind towards everyone and everything. She was very sweet and would do anything; even risk her life, for the greater good of the people and her family. She would choose to end her life over having anyone else hurt, and wasn't very big on the whole Struggle thing. Roxas specifically remembered one incident way back then…

"Sora! Roxas!" a beautiful woman with light brown hair and glimmering green eyes cried out, staring between the two brothers. Her green eyes immediately fell upon the blonde's forehead where a horrible gash had been formed, blood dripping all over the boy's face. "What happened? Naminé, would you please get a wet cloth for your brother?"

"Theyth were fighthing out inth the yard," explained young little Naminé, smiling evilly, her front two teeth were missing. She was only six years old, a devilish age for a girl. It was obvious she was trying to get her two brothers in trouble and take all the attention of their beloved mother. "You should haf seen them!"

"That's nice, dear, but the cloth," murmured Aerith, reaching down to pick Roxas up and carry him into the kitchen. Just as she passed through the door, Sora and Naminé following close behind, her eyes immediately spotted Cloud just as he was about to make a dash out into the driveway. "Cloud!" she shouted, setting Roxas by the sink. "I told you it was a bad age to teach them those insane moves of yours."

Cloud stopped just as he was half way out the door. "Bad age?" he repeated, turning around to look at his family. His face looked questionable. "Their boys, though, Aerith. Soon enough they'll be big enough to fight as well. In just a few years… I told you that right? I applied as a soldier at the age of—"

"Eleven, I _know_," she muttered back. She had just finished cleaning out Roxas' wound, and Naminé graciously handed her a clean bandage. "Are you heading to the Stadium already?" she asked, absent-mindedly.

At this Roxas turned around to look at his father with anxious eyes, completely messing up the bandage his mother had just started to wrap around his head. Aerith let out an exasperated sigh, but was still smiling. She whispered something to the affect of 'Children these days…' and then redid the blonde's bandages.

"Y-Yeah, actually," was Cloud's response, catching the begging stare from his son. "You know… I was thinking of taking Roxas with me today—"

"Absolutely out of the question."

Roxas spun his head around to face his mother; his expression up in an absolute pout. What was most irritating of all was the fact that even as Aerith said this, her face was still kind, still smiling… the blonde almost felt like his mother was taunting him. He crossed his arms and made a loud grunting noise. Both Sora and Naminé pointed their fingers and laughed at him…

"Yeah, I thought so," muttered Cloud, laughing lightly. "That's just like you. Hey, Rox, maybe next time okay…? I promise I'll take you to see it."

And then, Cloud was out the door.

_Some promise that was,_ he thought, reminiscing. _There never was a 'next time'…_ It really was painful to think about, but it would have been more painful to try and suppress those memories… Especially considering where he stood today. He stood in the very same place Cloud had probably stood so many years ago when he first tried out in the Struggle Tournament… The first time he won… Roxas could feel his heart rate beat faster every time he thought of it. How he missed his family…

"Is this the kid? _He's_ Roxas?"

The blonde looked up, wondering whose voice that was. He glanced around everywhere, but couldn't see anyone other than Tifa and Leon.

"Hey, pipsqueak," growled the voice, much closer this time, "I'm down here."

Roxas blinked. The two others merely tried suppressing their laughs as they watched Roxas look down and gaze eye-to-eye with a little fat, red-haired, rugged, and balding little man. The blonde actually jumped back because their faces had been so close together. Phil _hmphed_ at the boy's delayed reaction and crossed his arms.

"He don't look like much," muttered Phil, pacing around Roxas, inspecting every inch and centimeter that made the kid up. "Ugh! What kind of sword is _that_? You're not here to kill flies, kid. This ain't no game."

"You said almost the same thing about Cloud," stated Tifa, pointedly, "And look, how long he stayed Struggle Champion."

Phil crossed his arms. "_But_ little missy, I think you forgot where _that_ actually got him," he retorted, "Six feet under."

Leon's eye twitched. "That was below the belt."

"Below the belt_s_ to you, bub," he corrected, eyeing the two crisscrossing belts on Leon's pants. "So, kid, you up for a fight right now? I've got an opponent ready and willing on the other side. He's got one heck of a temper, so… you gotta understand. I'm just doing this so that it won't start any trouble."

Roxas shrugged. "Why not?"

"That's the spirit!" exclaimed the little man, hurrying over to where ever the 'other side' was. "I'll just set the team to set the stage up… I'll call you when we're set."

As soon as he was out of earshot Tifa spoke up: "That was Phil," she explained, "He's the official announcer for the Struggle Tournament… He's been around for ages. Even _before_ I became a sponsor he was already working here. He's really devoted to his job."

"You mean he's the one we heard over the loudspeaker?"

They nodded at him, and then grew silent. Their eyes were glancing around the field with worry, keeping an eye out for Roxas' first opponent. The thing was, normally, there weren't any other players let in this early, except for those Tifa and other famous sponsored, and this was what worried them. Who ever Roxas was going to fight first… was going to be a tough guy. There was no way around it. There's no way they'd let _anyone_ in this early if the participant wasn't strong enough or the sponsor wasn't influential enough. Thankfully in Roxas' case, it went both ways. It would have sucked if it were only because of Tifa's fame…

Suddenly, a shrieking sound from the loudspeaker flooded the area: "Ehem! Attention!" announced Phil over the loudspeaker, "The first fight will commence in 10 minutes. The following fighters please proceed to stage 1-A on the east wing—Roxas, Beast. I _repeat_, the following fighters please proceed to stage 1-A on the east wing—Roxas and Beast."

Tifa paled at the announcement and she immediately glanced down at Roxas in horror. Not horror, like, oh-my-gawd-your-gonna-get-your-ass-whooped kind of horror. It was more of the oh-my-gawd-I-can't-believe-he's-still-around kind of horror. There was an obvious difference between the two. Despite the obvious-ness, the blonde still had a hard time deciphering the two different kinds of horror, but thankfully, he was comforted when Leon placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You'll be fine, Roxas," said Leon, matter-of-factly, "Tifa's just surprised that even after all these years, Beast is still being controlled by that bastard…"

Roxas furrowed his brow, "What bastard? Xemnas?"

Tifa couldn't hold back a laugh at that one. "I had I feeling you'd jump to that conclusion, but I have to admit you _were_ close," she explained, crossing her arms. "Your father fought Beast during his second Tournament… It wasn't a hard battle, but—It left an impression on Cloud. You know, your father set him free back then… Beast… He—"

"He was an test subject for Vexen," Leon finished the sentence, looking away from them, as though he was remembering something awful. "When your father was still in power, he banned Vexen from ever using live human experiments… Now that Cloud's gone—it seems Vexen is back to his old schemes. Beast would never… He doesn't like fighting, believe it or not."

"Just keep that in mind, okay?"

Roxas nodded, trying to take it all in. "Is there anything else you can warn me about before I head over there…?"

The two adults shrugged. "Don't be startled by his appearance… He may look that way, but he's still human."

"Second call for Roxas!" screeched Phil over the loudspeaker. "Get your sorry ass over here, kid!"

The blonde sighed. He was beginning to hate Phil more than he did already. He was coming! Can't they just wait for a bit?

"If you're not over here by the time I count to thirty you're forfeiting! ONE… TWO—"

"I'm coming! Stupid little midget!" growled Roxas, punching the air as he did so. Leaving his stuff in the care of Leon and Tifa, he nodded his head to them before running in the direction the announcement had directed him to. He could feel his heart pumping wildly from within his chest now. It was loud and clear in his ears. This was it. The beginning of Leon's plan and _his_ dream were about to happen… Roxas could hardly contain himself.

* * *

To. Be. Continued!

How was it...? Please be sure to leave a review... It would be very nice. I'd love you to death!!

Next up: Roxas faces one of Vexen's creations as his first battle in the Struggle Tournament! Axel... shares his secret of being so skinny? NEXT TIME ON A VIVID PROMISE!


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